SFYN: No Food Justice Without Racial Justice

Written by Sara Blomquist (SFYN USA Communications Team), Madison Duval (SFYN USA Communications Team), Amelia Keleher (SFYN USA Communications Team), Lucy Morrison (SFYN USA Communications Director), Lauren Nelson (Co-Founder of SFYN USA)

“There can be no love without justice.”

—bell hooks

Racial justice is inextricably linked to food justice. The basis of the Slow Food Movement is our core belief that all people deserve good, clean, and fair food—food that is delicious, nutritious, affordable, accessible, and culturally appropriate. Along with the leaders of Slow Food USA, we as youths stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and other front-line justice organizations. Rampant racism has been built into our social, economic, and political frameworks, including our food system. Black ingenuity and labor built the United States’ agricultural economies, food sovereignty movements, and the foundation for our celebrated regional cuisines. Now and always, it is crucial that we uplift Black voices and honor the resilience and resistance of Black communities and individuals. We must address the injustices in our food system that disproportionately affect Black communities to actively engage in the work of dismantling white supremacism and eliminating racism.

We recognize that actions speak louder than words and are committed to creating a space in which Black and queer food activists feel seen, respected, and supported to participate fully as  leaders. We acknowledge that white activists, chefs, and farmers often receive credit for Black-led initiatives and movements, thereby continuing a legacy of marginalization and erasure. We aim to address this issue by giving full credit where it is due and by cultivating partnerships with a diverse group of activists and organizations working to address these issues. 

We urge you to join us in this initiative and enact change by addressing inequalities in your own communities. We have compiled a dynamic list of resources below to initiate conversations, and we encourage you to find work that speaks to you. We welcome your critique and input as we work towards enacting greater equity in our organization, food system, and society as a whole.

In grief, gratitude and solidarity,
Amelia, Lauren, Lucy, Maddy, Sara
Slow Food Youth Network USA

Books

• The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming by Natasha Bowens
• Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies by Seth M. Holmes
• More Than Just Food: Food Justice and Community Change by Garrett M. Broad
• Cultivating Food Justice: Race, Class and Sustainability Edited by Alison Hope Alkon and Julian Agyeman
• The Immigrant-Food Nexus: Borders, Labor, and Identity in North America (Food, Health, and the Environment) Edited by Julian Agyeman and Sydney Giacalone 
• In the Shadow of Slavery: Africa’s Botanical Legacy in the Atlantic World by Judith Carney and Richard Nicholas Rosomoff
• Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman
• Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement by Monica White
• The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty (2018 Winner of the James Beard Award for Best Food Writing and Book of the Year).
• The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
• Against Which by Ross Gay