Central Texas Food Bank’s Post

As we continue to recap the story of Beyond Hunger, we want to shoutout our strategic plan. This plan highlights the values that we carry in all of our work: equity, dignity, community, respect, and accountability. At the helm of our strategic plan is prioritizing racial equity. We understand that hunger in our communities is a manifestation of systemic racism. This means we go beyond simply providing food to address the root causes of hunger. Learn more about our strategic plan at https://lnkd.in/gzEctvXp

Today, as we commemorate Juneteenth, we must recognize the entrenched issue of food insecurity in Black communities. Structural barriers such as systemic racism and economic disparities contribute to unequal access to nutritious food. Addressing food deserts and promoting economic equity are crucial steps toward a more just society where everyone can access the resources they need for a healthy life. #Juneteenth #FoodInsecurity #SocialJustice

Attorney Chilton asserts "This Paper is a provocation to move beyond a standard human rights and right to food framework to encourage scholars, activists, and political leaders to engage in full throttle societal transformation. Ending hunger in the United States demands nothing less. The modern human rights framework is enshrined in the modern nation state system that is rooted in the transatlantic slave trade, colonization, and genocide. Three primary ways in which these roots took hold were through land theft, rape, and starvation. Hence, to assert that integrating the right to food and freedom from hunger into nation-state constitutions or into national plans to end hunger without significantly altering the structure of the nation state will be fundamentally ineffective. Nation states currently depend on keeping people hungry, especially women and children. If this is the case, then we ought to consider new ways of envisioning and devising a world in which all people are free from hunger and have good nutrition that supports human and more-than human flourishing. To do so demands we address food insecurity at its roots. This Paper relies on twenty-five years of empirical research with Black women, Native communities, and other groups of color, as well as on the scholarship of Black and Native thinkers. In doing so, the Paper outlines how rape, colonization, racism, and gender discrimination continue to generate food insecurity and hunger, and how incorporating a broad view of the right to food to support rights of women, Indigenous peoples, peoples of African descent, and the rural poor are integral to the right to food. Finally, this Paper shows that societal transformation can only be made possible through providing reparations to descendants of people who were enslaved, respecting and repairing treaty rights with Native nations, and changing human beings' relationship with the natural world from viewing food as commodity to revering food and the natural world as kin with equal standing to humans. In doing so, we can meet the challenges of the climate catastrophe and promote resilience of future generations."

I tuned into this webinar hosted by US Water Alliance and really appreciate the perspectives and experiences brought by speakers Karyn Riley and Kellie Watson. There was a lot to take away from the conversation, but three things stood out for me. 1) "Water and wastewater utilities have so much power within communities and to support communities." Because of this, utilities need to be really intentional about how they serve and listen to communities, which starts with an explicitly stated commitment to equity. I was struck by the way that community input was framed as a complement to data - as a type of data in itself, in a way - and a fundamental part of how to design services to truly meet needs. 2) "Workforce is community as well." In addition to working on water access equity, we need to work on improving racial equity in the water workforce. "Diversity at work is important," but Black, Indigenous and other People of Colour are still underrepresented in managerial roles. The speakers also talked about the need to listen to employees and ensure they feel engaged. 3) "Race is still the number one predictor of water and sanitation access in the U.S." This week, a number of places across the country (though not all) celebrated Juneteenth, which commemorates the date on which the last enslaved people (in Galveston, Texas) were officially declared free. But though the purchase of people may have ended, the impacts of systemic racism have not. The repercussions of practices like redlining and segregated services persist, including in the ways that water and wastewater services are provided or not. I recommend having a listen to the recording from this great webinar and checking out the "Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States" report by the US Water Alliance and DigDeep (link in comments).

Just finished reading Thomas Friedman's thought-provoking New York Times essay, "How We’ve Lost Our Moorings as a Society," and I'm struck by the powerful metaphor he uses: mangroves. He compares these trees, which protect and stabilize ecosystems, to the societal norms that once buffered us against political extremism and nurtured healthy communities. Friedman highlights how figures like Donald Trump and the emergence of new truth regimes epitomize this destruction—shame, responsibility, and civility, once the bedrock of our society, are now being uprooted with alarming impunity. Friedman's opinion piece delves into various facets of societal breakdown, from the decline in religious observance to the polarization fueled by national media and the crisis in local journalism. These elements are ripping apart our social fabric, much like an ecosystem ravaged by losing its protective mangroves. This isn’t just about politics—it’s about the survival of our community ethics and the very essence of our democracy. This piece is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in our social fabric and the urgent need to restore the norms that safeguard our communal and democratic health. These so-called symptoms are now the problem and have become a national crisis. Instead of resorting to finger-pointing or defensiveness, it's time to rebuild these fundamental societal mangroves. We must demand more from our leaders and ourselves. The stakes couldn’t be higher. #Ethics #CommunityHealth #PoliticalExtremism #LeadershipResponsibility

Today marks the 8th annual National Day of Racial Healing, a time to contemplate our shared values and create the blueprint together for #HowWeHeal from the effects of racism. Learn more about how we can bring ALL people together in their common humanity and inspire collective action to create a more just and equitable world. Learn more: DayOfRacialHealing.org

Are you interested in the principles of food sovereignty, the importance of food traditions, or what a transnational Black women’s food sovereignty project can look like? Last week, K. Melchor Quick Hall held an interactive lecture on these topics, and more, titled “Transnational Black Feminist Food Sovereignty and Solidarity.” Sharing her insights on food heritage, solidarity and transnational cooperation, K. Melchor Quick Hall invited the audience to reflect on how food can empower and connect BIPOC women and their communities.   You can watch, rewatch or share the lecture here: https://bit.ly/4cgMi5k.   If you are curious about K. Melchor Quick Hall’s work, we suggest exploring the following resources:   See Quick Hall’s book “Naming a Transnational Black Feminist Framework: Writing in Darkness”: https://bit.ly/3Vamy4w.   Explore Quick Hall’s essay titled “Cultivating Intergenerational Gardens with Judith Atamba: An Ecowomanist Analysis of a Transnational Black Women’s Gardening Collaboration”: https://bit.ly/49RpuqB.   Read Quick Hall’s insights on “Technology in Black Feminist World”: https://bit.ly/439KTcy.   Finally, consider donating to, or visiting Global Village Farms, in Grafton, Massachusetts, an initiative that aims to create a new sustainable economy and cooperative living spaces with low income immigrant communities of color and other colonized and marginalized people: https://bit.ly/433IWhT.   #FoodSovereignty #TransnationalFeminism #BlackFeminism #BlackFoodSovereignty #FoodSecurity #BlackFeministFuture #WomenEmpowerment #CommunityEmpowerment #Solidarity

In October of the past year, my dear friend and Food Solutions New England colleague Karen Spiller offered important testimony to the Human Rights Committee reviewing the U.S. on compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). I applaud her courage and compassion, always. "In her statement, Karen urged the Committee to recommend to the United States that it: 🦋 Strengthen local and #regionalfoodsystems as a pathway to restore food autonomy to communities, and to reduce the environmental harms caused by large-scale farming. 🦋 Hold large-scale agricultural companies and extractive industries liable for their impacts on #life-sustaining resources such as clean water and food. 🦋 Examine current lending practices to integrate #sustainability and racial #equity considerations for small food producers. 🦋 Raise the federal minimum wage to a true #livingwage, recognizing that poverty is the root cause of hunger. 🦋 Make #reparations to communities whose labor has been systematically exploited and have been dispossessed of their land since the founding of the United States." Read more about Karen's testimony here - https://lnkd.in/epTccBri And consider signing the FSNE Pledge that aligns with Karen's statement. More here - https://lnkd.in/eduG5ic

1 in 11 Coloradans, including 1 in 9 children, face food insecurity. This week, Denver Identians took action, volunteering their time with the Food Bank of the Rockies. In just three hours, we sorted and packed enough food for 16,000 meals, making a meaningful difference in communities across Colorado. 🤝🌎 #PingCommunityCares Explore how Ping Identity champions sustainability, social change, and ethical governance in our 2022 ESG Report: https://ow.ly/8FpH50Q8wS8 #Ping4Good

Farzaneh Khayat, IRJ postdoctoral fellow, is sure of these two things: 1. Environmental racism must be addressed in anti-racist strategies. 2. The best solutions for communities come from them. Learn more about research projects covering tree equity, widening access to community gardens, and her journey of awakening in this profile: https://bit.ly/452ooW4