Many of you will will receive our end of year letter in the mail this week. If not, here is what you missed! Thank you for donating generously to CAGJ during this giving season, to help us continue to build the global food sovereignty movement!
Dear CAGJ Friend:
We write to you in the midst of a very busy fall, having just hosted our Kenyan partners, organized an action at the Gates Foundation, and held a packed AGRA Watch event at Town Hall. Now we’re in the final weeks of preparing for a full schedule of events to mark 20 years since the moment that led to CAGJ coming into existence: the 1999 Battle in Seattle. We hope to see you on Saturday November 30th at Town Hall Seattle!
CAGJ continues to fight for food sovereignty, and we are working hard to become even more effective moving forward!
2020 is a Visioning Year for CAGJ
In 2019 we laid the groundwork for our Strategic Assessment and Planning Process, and held our first Membership Gathering in September for feedback on this process. Thank you to everyone who came to the gathering, and to the nearly 100 people who responded to our Member survey! We appreciate the Dream Team, our cohort of 20 CAGJ Members who are leading this process with us. In 2020 we are focusing on clarifying CAGJ’s vision, mission and theory of change – and we want your input! Please join us on Saturday January 25th for our 2nd Member Gathering!
Food Justice Project: Strengthening Food Sovereignty in the Northwest
In 2019 CAGJ amplified Northwest Native opposition to GE salmon through our Town Hall event in April. We fought alongside Got Green to ensure that City Council allocates Sugary Beverage Tax income to food access programs for communities most impacted. We made calls to our State representatives to help Community to Community win a new H2A Oversight Committee to protect farmworkers. We showed up to picket Safeway with UFCW 21 to pressure for a fair contract for grocery workers. We kept our members informed about NAFTA 2.0, thanks to the advocacy of WA Fair Trade Coalition. We will show up for our Solidarity Campaign partners in 2020, and will continue to offer opportunities for political education and leadership development at our monthly Food Justice Project meetings: join us!
Salmon People Event in April, featuring Valerie Segrest, Coordinator of the Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project; Alan Stay, Tribal Attorney for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe; Fawn Sharp, President of the Quinault Indian Nation; and Dana Perls, a Senior Food and Agriculture Campaigner at Friends of the Earth.
AGRA Watch: Solidarity with African Food Sovereignty Movement
At the end of 2018 AGRA Watch traveled to Kenya to meet with our partners, and to Senegal to participate in meetings of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, where we were honored to become a member of the Alliance. In 2019 AFSA launched the Agroecology for Climate Action campaign! AGRA Watch supported the campaign during a banner action at our July SLEE Dinner, and at last month’s events with Million Belay, AFSA’s Coordinator who CAGJ brought to Seattle for a Gates Foundation action, and to present with activist author Tim Wise on the “Battle for the Future of Food in Africa.” We also had the opportunity to host our Kenyan partners G-BIACK, who visited for several days in October. We look forward to strengthening our partnerships in 2020, when AGRA Watch will publish a new report, and we will travel to Africa again in the Fall for AFSA’s annual General Assembly.
AGRA Watch rally outside of the Gates Foundation with Million Belay, Coordinator of Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, and Timothy Wise, author of “Eating Tomorrow: The Battle for the Future of Food.”
WTO+20: Another World is Possible!
Having been launched by organizers of the 1999 World Trade Organization protests, CAGJ takes seriously the importance of recognizing this pivotal event in Seattle’s history. We are so excited for our full day of speakers, direct action training and workshops focused on strengthening today’s movements for justice through a Green New Deal, closing the NW Detention Center, and taking on the tech giants who are trying to expand their power through the WTO. Join us SAT NOV 30 at Town Hall, and for the after-party at Vermillion Gallery! Check out all the details at tinyurl.com/WTO20
CAGJ has 2020 Vision! We see:
- New member-leaders in CAGJ’s committees!
- Members & partners guiding our visioning through the Strategic Assessment & Planning Process
- The AGRA Watch campaign taking bold action and engaging with other members of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa
- CAGJ members building movement with us, such as at the Fall 2020 US Food Sovereignty Alliance Assembly
- Campaign wins with our local Food Justice Solidarity Campaign partners!
CAGJ relies on Members whose time, energy and funds make this work possible. Can you help us reach our goal of raising $10,000, and bringing in 20 new Monthly Sustainers at $20/month? Thank you for making a generous year-end gift which will enable us to reach our 2020 Vision!
In solidarity,
Heather Day and Simone Adler
P.S. Monthly Sustainers give us peace of mind, as we know we can rely on a steady flow of funds to cover our monthly costs. Please sign up today to have an amount securely deducted automatically every month, or increase your monthly donation if you are able. Thank you so much!
P.P.S. Don’t miss our WTO+20 celebrations on November 30th! We hope to see you at Town Hall Seattle 10am-5pm, and at Vermillion Gallery for the after-party.
P.P.P.S! Join us on December 10th 7:30-9:30pm for our annual holiday and member appreciation party!
