Our 15th SLEE and 20th Anniversary!
Thank you to everyone who came together for another beautiful SLEE! It was a big one, being our 15th SLEE Gala and CAGJ’s 20th Anniversary Party!
If you were not able to make it live, you can still watch the whole event here. (See links to highlights of the event below.)
We hold SLEE for many more reasons than fundraising alone, but in total this year we raised close to $22,000! It is not too late to donate, and you can help us reach our goal of 25K with a donation online.
While it was difficult to decide to host SLEE virtually once again, given how central sharing a fair trade and locally-sourced meal is to this gathering, we are so grateful to have still been able to come together in community. It was touching to see many of you attend from your dinner tables! We were also thrilled to see so many new names and faces in attendance.
We are also so grateful to have been joined by our keynote speaker Raj Patel. Raj was part of the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle from which CAGJ was founded, and has been a key figure in the world of trade justice and challenging philanthrocapitalism, making him the perfect fit for this year’s theme: “Is This What Democracy Looks Like? A Tale of Two Seattles.” Watch his keynote (18 minutes)!
TAKE ACTION!
Help us expose the Gates Foundation’s unethical practices
Watch the first episode (“The Foundation,” 6 min) on our film website (also on Vimeo), and share widely with your networks. This is the first of five short films we will produce over the next 5 months–stay tuned!
“If you’re wondering how to explain that colonialism is still happening, that it’s being driven by the most benign sounding charities and foundations, and that it’s being actively fought, and you’re trying to explain that to folk who don’t think they have the time, well, have I got a series of animations for you. Philanthro-capitalists are looking to abet the plunder, and they need to stop. This captivating series breaks down who’s doing what, why it’s wrong, what movements are doing to resist, and how you can help.” – Raj Patel
Available on sliding scale: $10 – $20: Pre-order on CAGJ’s website!
Our latest zine features art, stories, and recipes from over 30 contributors. Explore illustrations, personal narratives and poems from Indigenous Alaska, Punjab, Puerto Rico, and the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy comic strips, block prints, and instructions for creating a fortune teller. Savor recipes for tea, truffles, soups, salmon, flor de calabaza and more. These illuminating pieces stitch together food justice narratives that offer insights into the challenges of 2020. The murder of George Floyd galvanized us, while the global Covid pandemic, ongoing climate crises, and intense election season forced us into a new normal of chaos and uncertainty. By centering (re)connection with land, culture, and community, we invite a vibrant vision for working together to build a more just and generative world with food sovereignty for all.
GRATITUDE
Although SLEE was once again virtual, we strived to make it as vibrant and joyful as the setting and circumstances allowed. Thank you to Seattle Fandango Project and Sin Fronteras for sharing their wonderful songs with us, opening and closing the show! Follow @seattlefandangoproject on Facebook.
Thank you to Raj Patel for sharing your wisdom and returning to celebrate another big CAGJ anniversary with us. Raj reflected on the twin realities of the 1999 WTO protests, out of which CAGJ was founded, and how the creative conflicts of twenty years ago are still central to food sovereignty today: “…it’s vital that the kinds of things, the kinds of storytelling, the kinds of mobilizing around say, “Rich Appetites,” that enable us to stop egregious moments like the UN Food Systems Summit, continue.” He also reminded us that “our solidarities with working classes everywhere [are] going to require substantial sacrifice and change as we unlearn everything that capitalism has instilled in us. That’s not an easy road, but a road that we can go down together because we have this international solidarity that can… help us become better.”
Thank you to our SLEE Sponsors, Community Partners, Silent Auction donors for making SLEE possible. And to our Table Captains for bringing new people into our community year after year and spreading the word about CAGJ.
Thank you to our dedicated community of Interns, Volunteers, and Core Organizers for continuing to show up and work hard despite the ongoing challenges of a virtual event during the pandemic. Very special thanks to this year’s SLEE Coordinator Lisa Colligan for leading us through our second virtual gala.
Thank you to videographer Austin Smith for creating our 20th Anniversary Celebration Video. Special thanks to Ashley Fent for leading that project, spending countless hours reviewing and selecting footage. We were honored and touched by all of the saludos sent in by members of the CAGJ community for this occasion.
Thank you to Loki Fish & Clean Greens Farm and Market for donating whole wild salmon and kale to our Table Captains and solidarity partners including Community to Community, Familias Unidas, WA Fair Trade Coalition and Clean Greens, to prepare and enjoy the night of SLEE!
And deepest gratitude to CAGJ Members for coming with us on the journey to strengthen the global food sovereignty movement!
WATCH SLEE!
Videos on CAGJ’s YouTube channel: Please subscribe while you’re there!
- Digital Program PDF
- Full 2021 SLEE Gala Video (1 hour 36 minutes)
- Raj Patel’s Keynote: “Is This What Democracy Looks Like? A Tale of Two Seattles” Video (18 minutes)
- CAGJ’s 20th Anniversary Celebration Video, with reflections from the founders and members over two decades Video (28 minutes)
- Block Corporate Salmon Video (6 minutes)
Block Corporate Salmon Action at SLEE
GET INVOLVED
- Become a Member
- Intern or volunteer
- Attend monthly Food Justice Project meetings: Email [email protected]
- 3rd Tues/month @ 6:30PM PT via Zoom
- Follow CAGJ! @cagjseattle on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YoutTube
- Follow AGRA Watch! @agrawatch on Facebook, Twitter
- Email us: [email protected]
