Environmental for Food Justice

Moderator’s Note: It is our privilege to present a guest blog prepared by Jacqueline A. Smith, a Chicago-based urban farmer and food justice activist with roots in the African American sharecropper community.   Ms. Smith recently attended the Black Farmers and Urban Growers (BUGs) conference in Detroit and offers an insightful report on the proceedings. She emphasizes two themes that defined this important gathering: The resurgence of Africanness and Indigeneity as expressed through food justice activism in the urban agriculture movement. This resurgence involves making connections to our past, including our heritage cuisines, in order to strengthen our community autonomy and health. Smith observes how the conference participants explored and shared strategies of community sustainability and homage to ancestors who grew food before them. This revolutionary idea empowers the struggle for food justice by recognizing the wisdom of our elders and valuing their deep ancestral knowledge...