Friday, October 21, 2011

Join me at Ithaca's Food Justice Summit!

Greenstar Community Projects is sponsoring Ithaca's first Food Justice Summit from 12-6pm on October 21, 2011 at the Neighborhood Pride Grocery Store (210 Hancock Street in Ithaca). The goal is to "mobilize locally for food sovereignty and raise funds to support food justice projects, specifically Ithaca Community Harvest and the work of GreenStar to create a system of regional food sustainability that promotes health, equity, and community control of essential resources." The summit follows a walk-a-thon starting at 9am.

Ithaca's Food Web will be there to chat and explain what we're all about. Plus, at our table, you'll have a chance to put yourself on a map of our local food system.

I'll also be judging the Junior Iron Chef competition, where local teens paired with professional chefs will show off their culinary prowess.  I can't wait to experience the tasty treats. Of course, a zillion other great organizations will also be there, so check it out.

Here's a press release about the event from Groundswell:

Sustainability, Social Justice and Local Food Systems Detroit activist Malik Yakini visits Ithaca this week for series of “Food Justice” events

What are the connections between sustainability and social justice? How has racism helped to shape our food system, our diet and our health as a nation? And how can we work to undo the deadly effects of racism in our local food system?

As part of a series of Food Justice events this week, Mr. Malik Yakini will be visiting Ithaca to share experiences and insights from Detroit. Mr. Yakini is founder and Interim Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, which operates a four acre urban farm and has gained national attention for its path breaking urban agriculture and food security efforts.

Yakini views the “good food revolution” as part of the larger movement for freedom, justice and equality, and he is committed to the development of an international food sovereignty movement that embraces Black farmers in the Americas, the Caribbean and Africa.

Mr. Yakini s a widely-respected activist and educator dedicated to undoing the impacts of racism and white privilege in the food system. In 2009 he spearheaded the launch of the Detroit Food Policy Council, which he now chairs. He also currently serves as a Food and Community Fellow of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

On Thursday, Oct 20, 6:30-8pm there will be a free screening of the documentary Urban Roots in Mann Library Room 160 on the Cornell Campus. Urban Roots follows the work of Malik Yakini and the urban farming phenomenon in Detroit and is a timely, moving and inspiring film that speaks to a nation grappling with collapsed industrial towns and the need to forge a sustainable and prosperous future. The screening is co-sponsored by New World Agriculture Group at Cornell and the Albert R. Mann Library. For more information visit:
www.rso.cornell.edu/nwaeg/events.html

On Saturday Oct. 22, Mr. Yakini will give the keynote address at the Inaugural Food Justice Summit at 2 pm at the new Neighborhood Pride Grocery store on Hancock Street in downtown Ithaca. The Food Justice Summit includes a Walkathon for Wellness and community celebration with live music, a local organic BBQ, Gardens 4 Humanity’s Iron Chef
Junior competition, youth performances and activities. It is organized by GreenStar Community Projects to mobilize for food sovereignty and raise funds for local food justice projects, including Ithaca Community Harvest. The walk begins at 10am from The Space at GreenStar Cooperative Market, and ends at Neighborhood Pride where the Summit
will begin at 12 pm. For more information on the Summit and the Walkathon visit: www.greenstarcommunityprojects.org/FJS/  

Finally, on Monday, Oct. 24, the public is invited to participate in “Undoing Racism in the Food System: A Conversation with Malik Yakini,” from 6 – 7:30 pm at the Anabel Taylor Hall CafĂ© on the Cornell Campus.  Light refreshments will be served. The gathering is cosponsored by
the Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming, New World Agriculture and Ecology Group at Cornell, Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell Department of Development Sociology, Dorothy Cotton Institute, Gardens 4 Humanity, Whole Community Project, Cornell Garden-Based Learning Program, and Moosewood Restaurant. More information is available at
www.rso.cornell.edu/nwaeg/events.html.

These events are part of the national effort: Food Day (October 24th) www.foodday.org and are designed to raise awareness about unequal access to healthy foods and support regional organizational efforts around this issue.

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Groundswell is an initiative of the not-for-profit Center for Transformative Action, Tax ID: 16-0990318


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