Justice is served: Slow Food Nations brings Food Equity, Inclusion and Justice to the table

18 Jun 2019

The next edition of Slow Food Nations, which will take place in Denver, Colorado, July 19-21, will shed light on one of the biggest problems that still exist within our food system: Equity, Inclusion and Justice, Inclusion (EIJ).  width=

Theft of land, farmworker, fisher-harvester and other food and seafood chain worker exploitation, lack of access to land, oceans, freshwaters, and healthy foods, food apartheid neighborhoods, and diet related health problems, just to name a few, are rooted in race, class and gender disparities. As these injustices continue, all too often the voices of people of color, poor or low-income people and women are excluded from the mainstream food movement.

At Slow Food Nations, Slow Food USA and Slow Food Turtle Island will interact broadly in a series of events to dismantle racism, classism, and gender and sexual orientation bias in the food system by prioritizing support for underrepresented producers and integrating topics of equity and justice into the events’ program. From a featured discussion of the past, present, and future of African-American food heritage, to a panel for initiatives and programs to re-introduce indigenous traditional foods, from a talk on how agriculture is affected by the shortage of immigrant workers, to a discussion on how guerrilla gardens, school-supported agriculture, and seasonal cooking can create social and environmental change. Slow Food USA needs the experiences, assets and insights of people and communities of color, and diverse socioeconomic backgrounds to center the voices of those most impacted to help move this shift forward. At Slow Food Nations we will strengthen this shift. width=

Slow Food USA is collecting donations that will provide scholarships for six Slow Food Turtle Island delegates to attend the Leader Summit in Denver, where they can share their work and learn tools to empower their communities with a more equitable, inclusive and just food system.

Slow Food USA is committed to listening to those most impacted by food injustice; to being honest about how white supremacy, economic exploitation, and cultural domination have fundamentally shaped the agricultural history of the U.S.; to furthering our own education on how to build a just and equitable food system and supporting our local chapters to do the same, to honoring local knowledge; and, to taking appropriate action to support, deepen or create local food justice and food sovereignty efforts. width=

In 2018, Slow Food USA launched a new initiative to spread joy and justice in food with the release of the “Equity, Inclusion and Justice Manifesto.” The goal of this document was to acknowledge the structural inequalities within our food system and the voices that are marginalized as a result. Today, this work has evolved into a national working group of Slow Food leaders dedicated to the development of an equitable, just and healthy local food system—one that truly works for all of us.

Equity, Inclusion and Justice (EIJ) must be within the DNA of the values espoused by Slow Food.  Good, Clean, and Fair must go forward through an EIJ lens that includes:

  • Good-quality, flavorsome and healthy food with cultural relevance, available and accessible to all. This incorporates supporting efforts that cultivate food justice; equitable access; and collaborations that encourage food sovereignty.
  • Clean-production that does not harm the environment or people.  Insure that environmental justice principles are applied in the fields as farmworkers plant, pick, and harvest, and on the boats as fishers harvest and process.
  • Fair-accessible prices for consumers (co-producers) and fair conditions and pay for producers and all workers. Fight for dignity and economic justice of labor from field to fork. There should be geographical and equitable access for all communities.

To have a look at the full program of Slow Food Nations you can visit: slowfoodnations.org/events/

 

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