Artwork created by sixth-grade students from Capital City Public Charter School.
As the world finds itself facing widespread environmental degradation and ever-increasing human health concerns, the new food movement has taken hold. This shift in thought and action–which some have called a revolution–advocates sustainable agricultural and environmental practices that preserve the well-being of both land and people. As this movement works to transform our methods of food production and distribution, it has become ever more important for us to understand what makes a food system fair and just.
The Accokeek Foundation Center for Agricultural and Environmental Stewardship, in partnership with the Rural Coalition and National Immigrant Farming Initiative, presents a series of four events that will spotlight the issues that affect food justice on a local and global scale.
From the challenges to increasing food access in urban areas like Baltimore and Washington, DC, to the threat that genetically-modified foods can pose to our environment and our health, this Food Justice Series brings together farmers, policymakers, and advocates to cultivate insight and conversation about the pressing matters of food justice that each of them witnesses firsthand.
In our efforts to further community engagement, the Accokeek Foundation has partnered with Capital City Public Charter School, whose sixth-grade class has created several pieces of agriculture-inspired artwork as part of a lesson on the industrialization of food. The Foundation will exhibit this artwork at the Food Justice Series to make clear the relationship that all generations have with food and with farming and to inspire those in attendance to consider their connections to the agriculture in this region and the food on their plates.Each of these events will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Langston Room of the flagship location of Busboys and Poets (14th and V St. NW). This progressive community gathering place reaches a diverse audience of artists, activists, thinkers, and dreamers. The events are free and open to all, but donations are welcome.
Calendar:
Thursday, March 31 (Cesar Chavez Day); 6 to 8 p.m.; Food Justice – A Global Issue
Thursday, May 12; 6 to 8 p.m.; Food Access
Thursday, September 22; 6 to 8 p.m.; Building Local, Just Food Systems
Thursday, November 17; 6 to 8 p.m.; Environment, Food, and Health
About the Partners:
The Accokeek Foundation Center for Agricultural and Environmental Stewardship was created to teach, inspire, and encourage people about the principles and practices of sustainability in agriculture and everyday life. Building on its successful Beginning Farmer Training Program, the CAES offers workshops, field days, presentations, community forums, and guided tours covering topics ranging from sustainable agriculture to green living, environmental science, and local food. This event is part of the Foundation’s Robert Ware Straus Lecture Series. The Rural Coalition is a grassroots-oriented alliance of farmers, farm workers, and indigenous, migrant, and working people that seeks to build a more just and sustainable food system. The National Immigrant Farming Initiative is a collaborative effort of Heifer International and other partners that advocates for immigrant farmers. NIFI works to build awareness of the challenges that immigrant farmers face while increasing the visibility of their important contributions to our communities and agriculture.