Dear Supporter,

Organic Consumers Association has always been committed to the premise that food is the great connector. And that we can’t talk about food—who produces it, how it’s produced, who has it and who is food-insecure—without also talking about racial, social and environmental justice.

Today, on Juneteenth, during this time of civil unrest unlike any I’ve witnessed since the 1960s, I want to share this important and poignant article about how some communities have historically turned growing their own food into acts of resistance.

The author, Ashley Gripper, cautions against perpetuating a narrative of urban agriculture as being “something new, trendy and without sociopolitical and historical ties or influences.”

Gripper, a PhD Candidate in the Environmental Health Department at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, writes:

“While some dominant modern narratives talk about urban agriculture as an innovative way to build community and fight food insecurity, Black folks in this country have been growing food in cities for as long as they have lived in cities. Before that, our ancestors lived in deep relationship with the land. For the first time in my 22 years, I understood that growing food is a tool for dismantling systemic oppression.”

Gripper walks us through the facts, writing:

“Today there are about 45,000 Black farmers in the U.S., making up only 1 percent of the farming population, and owning far fewer acres of land compared to 1920. This happened through a series of USDA discriminatory policies and procedures such as Heirs Property, unjustified loan and crop insurance denials, and blatant prejudice like forcing Black farmers off their land.”

She ends with a bit of advice, so relevant today as we reflect on the sacrifices so many have made in the search for racial equality:

“The entire field of public health needs to rethink how it engages communities, especially considering that marginalized folks have the greatest understanding of the nuanced ways that environmental factors impact their communities. We must uplift and value their expertise and knowledge systems as much, if not more, than we do those with PhDs.”

I hope you’ll take the time to read this entire article.

It’s an important reminder of how taking back our food, and taking responsibility for our health, our environment and our communities, is a powerful statement about what kind of society we want to build.

In solidarity,