I-522 | Part 2 in a Series on the Washington State Initiative for GMO Labeling

Moderator’s
Note: Opponents of GMO labeling argue that the I-522 initiative
has little  public support among local consumer groups and that the effort is spearheaded by outside
groups. This is worse than a case of the pot calling the kettle black: Most
support for I-522 is local while it is outside groups, like the Monsanto Corp. and the
Grocery Manufacturers Association, that are the prime outside influence peddlers who so far have dedicated more than $17 million in funding an opposition to I-522 campaign.
For a report on this outside spending go to the Organic
Consumers website.

In today’s post, I present one of the most succinct
and eloquent statements in support of I-522 developed by a local, Washington
State-based organization. Community to
Community Development, or C2C as it is known in organizing circles, is an important voice in this
debate because the group uniquely brings all the stakeholders together – farmers, farm
workers, and consumers – to work toward a more sustainable, just, and equitable
food system. If any organization has its fingers on the pulse of
Washington State voters, C2C is definitely one such group.

The C2C statement is a significant one because it addresses a
problem that has often limited sustainable agriculture movements – those who
are among the most affected are usually left out: Immigrants, women, people of
color, and the LGBTQ community are “historically left out when decisions or
campaigns like this are formed.” This has not been the case with I-522 and the campaign’s
inclusiveness speaks well of the commitment of organizers to complete from-the-ground-up diversity. The
I-522 campaign has made a robust effort to represent all of Washington state residents and not just white middle-class
consumers who can afford to purchase organic produce without a second thought.

C2C takes an important position here since the
organization is comprised of farm workers and other working-class folks who are
more likely members of low-income households. Without a shred of real scientific evidence, the opponents of I-522 claim that
the labeling law will increase the cost of food. C2C debunks this myth by
demonstrating why low-income working-class families are among the strongest
proponents of labeling.

The C2C statement illustrates the folly one of the biggest lies opponents of I-522 use to confuse voters and this is the mistaken idea
that poor, working-class, and lower-income households are only concerned with
the price of food and are not interested in access to safe and nutritious
organic foods. Accompanying this lie is the claim that labeling will increase
the cost of food, which is an issue we will examine in greater detail in our next
posting.

C2C argues that everyone wants safe organic food, regardless
of income. I-522 is about strengthening the ability for farmers to verify and produce
untainted supplies. The campaign to make organic food more accessible to all
people regardless of income is an important struggle of the food justice
movement but should not be conflated with issues related to GMO labeling. It is the utmost hypocrisy for corporations like Monsanto to feign concern for the affordability of food when the hundred millions in direct and indirect subsidies the corporation receives is one reason for the steady increase in the cost of food since 2007. Food
justice movements seeks access to organic foods for all persons and the cost of organic
food MUST be brought lower, but not at the expense of the public’s right to
know or the farmer’s right to grow organic produce without the risk of contamination
by GE crops.

Statement of C2C on I-522

WORKING
CLASS FAMILIES SUPPORT LABELING

Community
to Community Development | Bellingham, WA | October 9, 2013

Community to Community Development is a place based,
women-led grassroots organization working for a just society and healthy
communities.

We are committed to systemic change and to creating
strategic alliances that strengthen local and global movements towards social,
economic and environmental justice.

The GMO labeling efforts and campaigns that have been
happening around the country and here locally are really inspiring. It is great
to see when concerned people begin to organize for change. We all deserve the
right to know what we are consuming. As an organization that advocates for food
sovereignty, food justice, and social justice, the I-522 campaign is something
that we are willing to support and build community around.

We understand that this is a Capitalist economy and that the
ones who are the most affected and left out are the most marginalized.
Immigrants, Women, People of Color, and the LGBTQ community are the people who
are historically left out when decisions or campaigns like this are formed. We
hope to offer an insight from the grassroots. We feel that the labeling efforts
in the past have not offered an analysis that includes Race, Class, or Gender
even though GMO’s and corporate control of our food systems are something that
affects every single one of us. Those of us who don’t have the financial,
legal, or leisure resources to protect ourselves from the damaging effects of
GMO’s and corporate agriculture, bear a disproportionate burden of these harms.

As Farm Workers this is an issue which has a profound impact
on our communities. We work in the fields and are the first who bear the full
force of being exposed to dangerous chemicals which continue to be used and
produced by multinational corporations that also are producing the GMO products
that we are consuming. We have been in the fight against pesticides and
chemicals since the days before Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. It is
also important to mention that through trade agreements such as NAFTA, GMO
seeds and crops have taken over many of our traditional farms in our homelands.
Causing displacement and mass migration to foreign lands where we are exploited
and subject to harassment and abuse. It is a vicious cycle; it is one that is
not sustainable or humane. Many Mexican and indigenous people from all over the
world have sacrificed their families and local economies in order to follow
where globalization is taking jobs.

The water and the salmon are at great risk and the
traditional way of living and that has been around for generations are being
altered forever. Here locally the Native American people who are also in the
fight to preserve their sovereignty and history are also aware of the
implications if corporations and the economic and environmental crisis that is
caused by capitalism continue to go unchecked and unchallenged.

The poor bear the brunt of unhealthy foods, which come
mainly from GMO production. Access to local fresh, organic, and healthy food is
usually expensive and a luxury that only a few of us have access to or can
afford. Poor and marginalized people on tight budgets, because of necessity
have to buy processed, unhealthy food in order to survive. Nutritional education
that frames people as being uneducated for choosing processed and unhealthy
food choices, misses the point completely because we are still not considering
access to healthy foods and recreation, or integrating foods in a culturally
appropriate way.

However there are things we all can do to begin a shift in
our food culture where every voice is taken into account. By Supporting I-522
and calling for Domestic Fair Trade we can transform the food system so that we
can all know that what we are eating is safe and comes from a source that is
trust worthy. We are supporting a food system that values nutritious foods,
protects farm workers and farmers, and respects the lands and waters that
sustains us. 

For us this is not just about labeling. It is much bigger
than that. Poor people and people of color should not be an afterthought in
these discussions when initiatives like I-522 come around. Being left out is a
profound legacy of colonization and resettlement. The connections between the
rise of industrialized food production, environmental destruction, poverty, and
racism are clear. Each issue is tied in with the others. It is unsustainable to
Mother Earth and to the rest of creation to keep this cycle going.

This
statement was written in collaboration between the Formación Civica Program of
Community to Community Development and The Canopy Collective. This included
Tara Villalba, Malora Christensen, Rosalinda Guillen, Tomas Madrigal, and Edgar
Franks.

For more information:

Edgar Franks

Community to Community Outreach

Formacion Civica/Campaign to End Racial Profiling

Office: 360-738-0893

Cell: 360-391-4561

www.foodjustice.org