Food Justice is Racial Justice (Level 1) – Workshop

** UPDATED AGENDA & OPTIONAL PREP FOR REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS BELOW **

Food Justice is Racial Justice – Racial Equity Level One Workshop

Hosted by the Collective on Racial Equity (CORE) in partnership with the Food Systems Leadership Network

Dates
April 1 | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
April 2 | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Location

Virtual (ZOOM)

The Collective on Racial Equity (CORE) invites food system practitioners, farmers, organizers, educators, and community leaders to join a two-day virtual workshop exploring racial equity in the food system. This Level 1 training provides an entry point for people who want to deepen their understanding of how race, power, and history shape food systems in the United States and beyond. Participants will explore how inequities show up across land, labor, access, policy, and culture while building relationships with others committed to transforming the food system.

This workshop includes

• Somatic grounding and reflection practices
• Small group dialogue and storytelling
• Exploration of historical and contemporary examples
• Interactive activities connecting race to food systems
• Opportunities to consider personal and organizational action

This training is intended for people who are ready to engage honestly, listen deeply, and learn in community with others. No previous racial equity training is required.

This workshop is designed for

• Food system practitioners
• Farmers and/or farm workers
• Nonprofit and community organization staff
• Institutional partners
• Funders and policy advocates
• Anyone interested in understanding the connections between race and food systems

The training serves as an entry point into racial equity work within food systems.

What participants can expect

• Guided grounding and somatic practices
• Exploration of the history of race and racism in the United States and its relationship to food and land
• Interactive activities that connect personal experience with systemic analysis
• Discussion of labor, land, migration, and food access
• Collaborative reflection with others working across the food system
• Opportunities to envision new practices rooted in racial and food justice

The workshop centers experiential learning and encourages participants to reflect on their own roles within food systems and within movements for justice.

Facilitators

Tamekia Brandon, Director of Strategic Operations, Co-Director of CORE
Bevelyn Ukah, Director of Programs and Culture, Co-Director of CORE
Abbey Piner, Co-Curator of Community Food Strategies, CORE Trainer and Leadership Team
Kathleen Wood, Coordinator of Farmer Apprenticeship programCORE Leadership Team
Shironda Brown, Director of Farm to ECE program, CORE Training and Leadership Team
LaShauna Austria, Co-Curator of Community Food Strategies, CORE Trainer and Leadership Team

Together, the facilitators bring experience in racial equity education, food justice, facilitation, and movement work within communities across the United States.

Participants will leave with

• Stronger understanding of racial equity within food systems
• Shared frameworks and language
• New relationships and learning community connections
• Invitations to continue engaging with CORE and partner networks

Space for this workshop series is limited to 50 participants to enable a meaningful learning experience and relationship building within the cohort. Please only register for this workshop if you are able to fully attend both days. 

Updated Information for Registered Participants: 

A reminder on how to access the Zoom Room, a snapshot of our 2-day agenda, and optional – yet supportive, opportunities to prepare for this workshop.

Reminder on how to access the Zoom Room for this workshop

Each participant has a unique Zoom link that is connected to their registration for the workshop. Please follow the instructions below to access the calendar invite or find your unique link in the Zoom registration confirmation email for this workshop.

Downloading the Calendar Invite:

You should have received a confirmation email from Zoom – please check your inbox for that. To download a calendar invite from a Zoom registration confirmation email, open the email and locate the “Add to Calendar” section. Click on the corresponding icon (Google, Outlook or Apple) to automatically populate your calendar, or select the “.ics” file option to download and import the event into your calendar. 

Workshop Agenda Snapshot

We will begin the workshop promptly at 10:00 AM ET.  As an immersive experience, we hope to see all participants arrive on time to help shape the workshop space we all will be engaging in.

Wednesday, April 1st – Workshop Day 1: 10:00 AM ET – 4:00 PM ET
Focus – Embodiment, History, and Grounding the Food System in Racial Analysis

10:00 Arrival and welcome
10:25 Reflection, somatics,  and practice
11:45 Short break
11:55 Defining Racism
1:15 – 2:00 Lunch
2:00 History of Race and Food System
3:55 Closing reflection and prep for tomorrow

Thursday, April 2nd – Workshop Day 2: 10:00 AM ET – 3:00 PM ET
Focus – Resistance, Movement Building, and Action

10:00 Arrival and grounding practice – land acknowledgement
10:30 Rs in Practice: Highlighting resistance movements in food and racial justice
12:45 – 1:30  Lunch
1:30  From learning to action
2:10 Collective reflection or creative exercise
2:40 Closing circle

How can you prepare for this workshop?  

Throughout this workshop we will move through somatic engagement, interactive activities, reflective processes, group discussions, and lecture-style learning.
There are many opportunities to feel more comfortable or grounded entering into this workshop and we’re sharing some of these methods below. These are optional, but our hope is that they are helpful in your preparation.

Reflective Activity 

Please review these quotes offered for reflection on land, food and justice. 

We invite you to choose your favorite. Those who want to share the quote that resonates will have an opportunity to during check-in on Day 1.

Somatic Personal Check-in for Comfort

We encourage you to take into account your comfortability and how to create more space to feel present and at ease – to allow for overall integration of new, reimagined, and shared concepts. 

For some this may look like:

– Settling in a place that feels grounding for you, or being outside if possible

– While we encourage bio breaks when needed + we will break for lunch, having a beverage or snack within reach is an integrative method of engaging with the food system and this workshop

– Cozy socks or blankets that support your external wellness

– While not required, bringing paper/journal and a pen to jot down thoughts you may have, or insight that spark something in your perspective has been a helpful resource for past participants