“A lot of people are learning to connect the dots between race and food,” says Becky Schigiel, social justice coordinator at First Unitarian Society. “We’re learning a lot about the history of food and the fact that it matters who owns the land and access to farmland in a historical sense. We’re also learning about how that it is tied into your cultural heritage.”
These type of topics will be talked about tonight at “Food, Race & Justice: From National Issue to Local Action” at the First Unitarian Society as local experts tackle food insecurity and food worker poverty. Both have become real issues here in Dane County. The program starts at 6:30 p.m.
First Unitarian Society (FUS) is a community in Madison where curious seekers gather to explore spiritual, ethical and social issues in an accepting and nurturing environment. The mission of the FUS Social Justice Program is to engage in proactive, progressive social action and community outreach that integrates social justice work into the overall life of the congregation and produces a significant impact on targeted social justice issues at local, national, and international levels.
“This congregation spent a couple of years looking at issues around eating and exploring that topic in-depth,” Schigiel says. “We really took a deeper look at the fact that the choices we make around food and our intention from where our food comes from — all the way from production to consumption — are very much part of the congregation’s spiritual life and each person’s spiritual life. They are important to us.
“This event is just one more step for us and we’re very fortunate to have some wonderful guests and speakers,” she adds.
The highlight of the event will be a talk by Malik Yakini, a Detroit teacher and food activist, who will explain the interconnectedness of structural racism and the food chain and offer guidance for creating a more just, sustainable food system. Yakini is the executive director and founding member of D-Town Farm and the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, a group of individuals and organizations dedicated to building food security and advocating for food justice for Detroit’s majority African-American community.
“A huge part of what he is doing in Detroit is empowering people from the community,” Schigiel says. “His 9-acre D-Town Farm is amazing and I often wonder why it doesn’t get much press. He has a connection with Will Allen in Milwaukee and Robert Pierce here in Madison.”
D-Town Farm staff and volunteers nurture a mix of crops — everything from spinach, beets, and mustard greens to tree fruit — all of which are then sold at farmers markets within the Detroit city limits, rather than in wealthier outlying suburbs.
At the event, there will be a 30-minute video of Yakini speaking at the National Bioneers Conference. “He talks about what the systematic and structural racism has to do with food,” Schigiels says. “He has been so instrumental in Detroit for helping people take control of their food economy.”
“Food, Race & Justice: From National Issue to Local Action” will also feature a panel of local experts including Robert Pierce (Growing Power-Madison); Ariana Mankerian (Mentoring Positives; Off the Block Salsa); Evette Gardner and Brian Rothgery (Fight for $15; Just Dining Guide); Haywood Simmons (Phitness Plus) and a representative of Operation Welcome Home.
“Mentoring Positives is proud to participate in this event to demonstrate how unique programs, such as our Off the Block Salsa Enterprises that combines mentoring and social entrepreneurship, can provide opportunities for our youth to learn essential life skills and solutions for the Darbo Neighborhood to overcome systemic racism,” says Ariana Mankerian, director of operations and programs for Mentoring Positives, Inc. tells Madison365.
“It’s a big panel but it’s bringing together people who might not normally be together and talking about farming food at the same time,” Schigiel says. “All of these conversations are related. And what we’re really focusing on is talking about the relationship between race and food and opportunity.”
“Food, Race & Justice: From National Issue to Local Action” will be held in partnership with Sustain Dane. It’s free and open to the public and refreshments will be provided.
“One of the things that we are very excited about is that we will have teenagers in the audience for this event,” Schigiel says. “That is so important.
“It’s a huge topic and I’m glad that people are starting to talk more about it but there’s so much more work to be done around it,” she adds. “I think that some people will come because they are knowledgeable about this subject, but I think many people will also come because this is something that is very new and interesting and they want to learn more.”
For more information about “Food, Race & Justice: From National Issue to Local Action,” e-mail [email protected].
