Photo from May Day March, May 1st, Seattle

See the Ripple Effects:

#GiveBIG to CAGJ now through May 10!

CAGJ is participating in GiveBIG, the annual online giving event on May 10 organized by the Seattle Foundation, and we hope you will support our work by making a donation! Seattle Foundation will “stretch” your gift, and CAGJ’s $3500 matching grant makes your gift go even further!

Can you donate to help us reach our $7000 Membership Month goal? Schedule your gift today!

Our $7000 fundraising goal is to support strategizing and organizing for transnational and local food sovereignty resilience. How will CAGJ put your donation to work?

We will send AGRA Watch leaders to Africa to meet with our partners on the ground, and document farmers’ stories during the Agroecology Exchange we are co-coordinating with our partners in US Food Sovereignty Alliance.
We will widely distribute our first-ever short film, about Northwest tribal resistance to GE salmon co-produced with Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project and New Canoe Media.
We’ll hire an AGRA Watch Researcher to document the Gates Foundation’s web of influence in the biotech and corporate agriculture industry.

Check out our 1 minute video on why giving to CAGJ promotes food sovereignty!

When you give big to CAGJ, you can be confident that your donation – of any size – will have ripple effects in your community, and across the world. Please give now through #GiveBIG on May 10 to ensure CAGJ can continue this important and exciting work. Thank you!

CAGJ HAPPENINGS

CAGJ's Director Heather Day to go on medical leave

This month CAGJ’s ED, Heather Day, will begin treatment for breast cancer. While Heather and her family were devastated to learn her diagnosis, the outpouring of community support and her positive prognosis is helping them get through this difficult time. CAGJ will support Heather throughout treatment, likely to last 9 months. Thus your membership gift this month not only helps CAGJ continue to fight for food sovereignty, it lets Heather know that we’ve got her back! CAGJ’s Organizing Director, Simone Adler, and SLEE organizer, Grace Steig, will step up to keep the work going, as Heather works less during this time. Please note that as a result of Heather’s leave, CAGJ is postponing our annual SLEE Dinner until the Fall – stay tuned! Heather appreciates receiving your well wishes by email.

Honoring May Day:

Worker Rights are Immigrant Rights!
On Monday, CAGJ joined thousands of others in the streets of Seattle to march for immigrant and worker rights, demonstrating the people’s resistance to anti-immigration policies, deportations, detentions, and racism. Together, ten thousand people chanted and rallied to send the message that reclaiming the rights of all workers includes immigrants, whose labor has built this country. Check out CAGJ’s march photos on Facebook!

Join CAGJ's Learning Collective

We are currently seeking people to join our Learning Collective, who will meet periodically over the next year to develop a new leadership development program for CAGJ, focused on connecting food sovereignty, local history, and anti-oppressive organizing. The collective will build on the idea of a 6-week Summer School developed for this summer, that we decided to postpone, in order to involve more people in the planning. We invite you to RISE UP, and join us in bringing the vision of CAGJ Summer School forward! No experience necessary, just an excitement to learn together! Contact Simone if you’re interested or have any questions.

TUES June 20, 6:30 - 8:30PM
Next Food Justice Project Meeting in June (No meeting in May)

CAGJ is skipping our monthly Food Justice Project meeting in May, but will meet up again on the 3rd tuesday of June, as every month, at our office! New Member Orientation at 6pm; please RSVP!

TAKE ACTION

Join our Food Justice Project Solidarity Campaign with Got Green to Close the Food Security Gap in Seattle

Got Green is working to ensure that the revenue from the mayor’s proposed Sugary Beverage Tax goes back into communities most impacted by the tax through community-led food access and prevention programs. Got Green has been organizing in south Seattle to build public support in favor of investing in programs that close the food security gap, and CAGJ is supporting this work. If you are interested in getting involved, come to our June Food Justice Project meeting on June 20, (6:30-8:30pm at our office) to learn more, or contact Simone.

CAGJ NEWS & ANALYSIS

Our Commitment in the Times of the Trump Regime and a Republican Congress: An AGRA Watch Member's Perspective By Megumi Sugihara, PhD, AGRA Watch Member

AGRA Watch member Megumi Sugihara, PhD, presents an analysis on the role of AGRA Watch in this political moment and our ongoing commitment to fight for food sovereignty and challenge philanthrocapitalism. “If you are like me, you might have felt pulled in many directions since the new administration took office in Washington, D.C. 100 days ago. After all, we want to protect our basic rights for healthcare, clean water, a safe environment, and public education; to name just a few. We also want to make sure our immigrant friends and colleagues are safe; and we certainly do not want any more war, nuclear or otherwise. But then, why is it still important for AGRA Watch to fight for food sovereignty and to challenge philanthrocapitalism in the times of the Trump regime and a Republican-controlled congress?” Read the full blog.

Seed Freedom: The Monsanto Tribunal's Legal Opinion Reinforces Movements' Struggle for Basic Human Rights

The Monsanto Tribunal of international judges presented in The Hague their legal opinion after 6 months of analysing the testimonies of more than 30 witnesses, lawyers and experts. Their conclusions are that Monsanto’s practices undermine basic human rights and the right to a healthy environment, the right to food, the right to health, it calls for better protective regulations for victims of multinational corporations and concludes that International law should clearly assert the protection of the environment and ‘ecocide’ as a crime. Read the full article.

Seattle Times: Mark Musick Transformed the Way Seattle Thinks about Local, Seasonal Food

Last week the Seattle Times published a great article about the contributions of Mark Musick, a pioneer in Seattle’s food scene. “An unassuming figure with a rich, mellifluous voice, Musick was instrumental in founding the Tilth movement supporting sustainable agriculture: Think organic foods, training for farmers and gardeners, and classic publications on growing food in this region. His work at Pragtree brought local produce into local restaurants and, eventually, households.” It’s a great read!

Leah Penniman, Yes! Magazine: 4 Not-So-Easy Ways to Dismantle Racism in the Food System

Leah Penniman, farmer and educator at Soul Fire Farm in NY state, writes about the roots of our food system - colonizaiton and slavery - and offers ways we can take action to fix this.

"Racism is built into the DNA of the United States' food system. It began with the genocidal theft of land from First Nations people, and continued with the kidnapping of my ancestors from the shores of West Africa. Under the brutality of the whip and the devastation of broken families, enslaved Africans cultivated the tobacco and cotton that made America wealthy. But the story doesn't end with the Emancipation Proclamation. Later came convict leasing, a form of legalized slavery that kept many Southern black people on plantations-in some places until the late 1920s. Just a few decades later, Congress created the migrant guest-worker program, which imported agriculturalists from Mexico and other countries to labor in the fields for low wages." Read the full article.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

REGISTER NOW: People's Academy for Community Engagement

Five Saturday Workshops May 27 - June 24

This civic leadership development program of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is dedicated to teaching hands-on engagement and empowerment skills to emerging leaders in a multicultural environment, with the vision for "a city government of all people, by all people, and for all people." The class is designed for 25-30 emerging leaders who are newly engaged in the community and want to acquire additional skills to be more effective in civic leadership. Applications are taken on a rolling basis throughout the year, with the deadline approximately 4-5 weeks before class begins. Tuition is $100. Tuition assistance is available. Dates, registration, and more here.

FRI MAY 5, 7PM

Andy Fisher presenting Big Hunger at Elliot Bay Books

Andrew Fisher, a veteran of over 25 years in anti-hunger activism, presents an important critique of the current state of our country’s “emergency food system.” Meant to be a stopgap measure, food banks and pantries have now become an industry. In his book, Big Hunger: The Unholy Alliance Between Corporate America and Anti-Hunger Groups (MIT Press), he argues that anti-hunger advocates are missing an essential element of the problem: economic inequality driven by low wages. He takes a critical look at the business of hunger and offers a new vision for the anti-hunger movement. More about the event at this link.

SAT MAY 6, 1-5PM

Community Power Summit

All Pilgrims Church 500 Broadway E. The Community Power Summit aims to connect people looking for engagement opportunities with leading local activist groups working on some of the most crucial issues facing Seattle, our nation and the world. Ximena Velazquez-Arenas of the Neighborhood Action Coalition will give the keynote, Building an Intersectional People Power Movement. Presenters include: Got Green and 350 Seattle on green jobs and energy systems that meet our climate goals and provide a just transition for workers; Puget Sound SAGE and Tenants Union on combatting displacement with affordable housing under community ownership and control; One America on protecting immigrant and refugee rights; Transit Riders Union and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways on moving beyond car culture with transit, bikes and walking; and Trump-Proof Seattle Campaign and Seattle Education Association on Just Taxation and Education. Free childcare is available. Register here. Full agenda here and more on Facebook.

SAT & SUN MAY 6-7, 9AM-3PM

Tilth Alliance May Edible Plant Sale

4850 Meridian Ave. N, Seattle. Come to the Tilth Alliance May Edible Plant Sale and choose from the largest selection of organically, sustainably and locally grown vegetable plant starts in the Puget Sound region! You’ll find an amazing selection of tantalizing veggies to choose from, including summer crops like tomatoes, peppers, squash and corn, foodie favorites, heirloom varieties, culinary herbs, edible flowers, pollinator plants and fruit trees and shrubs. The plants are the best varieties to grow successfully in our Pacific Northwest climate. Free.

FRI & SAT MAY 6-7, all day

The Living Breath Indigenous Foods and Ecological Knowledge Symposium

University of Washington "wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ" Intellectual House 4249 Whitman Court. You are invited to two days of amazing panels and break-out sessions in honor of Native Youth. How do young people look to the future of our Native nations and communities and their sacred relations with their place and their planet? This year their voices are prominent. Join in to share knowledge, experience and expertise on tribal food sovereignty initiatives, food justice and security, traditional foods and health, indigenous foods systems and global climate change. Those who hold these issues dear are invited to join in for this important conversation. Your voice is welcomed! All prices include continental breakfast items with traditional NW foods lunch included for day or days purchased. Tickets are free for UW students; for adults $20 for a day, $35 for both days; Youth (12-21) $10 one day, $15 for both days; Ages 11 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased here. For more information contact Dr. Charlotte Coté at [email protected] or (206) 221-6549

SUN MAY 7, 10AM-1PM

UW Nursery Native Plant Sale

Center for Urban Horticulture, Douglas Research Conservatory 3501 NE 41^st Street. Montgomery takes us on a journey around the world to visit farmers who are building fertile soil and turning the tide on this problem. Montgomery shows why the regenerative practices of this new breed of entrepreneurial farmers can heal damaged environments and improve their bottom line. Their focus on soil health merges ancient wisdom with modern science into simple, cost-effective practices to help feed the world and pull carbon from the atmosphere. Contact [email protected] for any questions.

TUE MAY 9, 7:30PM

David R. Montgomery, 'A Revolution for Healthy Soil'

Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8^th Ave at Seneca. This event celebrates the book launch for Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life by David R. Montgomery. Montgomery tracks the fates of once-great civilizations that sank into poverty after destroying the fertility of their land. Today, despite this correlation, soil degradation remains the least recognized, yet most solvable, crisis humanity faces. Montgomery takes us on a journey around the world to visit farmers who are building fertile soil and turning the tide on this problem. Montgomery shows why the regenerative practices of this new breed of entrepreneurial farmers can heal damaged environments and improve their bottom line. Their focus on soil health merges ancient wisdom with modern science into simple, cost-effective practices to help feed the world and pull carbon from the atmosphere. Tickets are $5 at at www.townhallseattle.org or 888/377-4510. Doors open 6:30pm. Downstairs at Town Hall.

THUR MAY 11, 6PM

Conservation you can taste: An evening with Gary Nabhan

UW Fisheries Auditorium, 1122 NE Boat St, Seattle WA 98105. Join the UW Program on the Environment to welcome Gary Nabhan for a lecture centered on the re-emerging importance of ethnobiology as a way to spur biological and conservation and cultural survival in the Anthropocene. Gary is a renowned nature writer, agrarian activist and ethnobiologist whose work emphasizes the important links and synergies between biodiversity and cultural diversity. Gary’s work focuses on the plants and cultures of the desert and he’s also known as a pioneer in the local food movement for his work on bringing food diversity back to cities, in part by celebrating traditional ecological knowledge. Through his work, Gary has brought together farmers, urban food activists and indigenous communities to conserve landscapes and traditional livelihoods. More info here.

MON JUNE 5, 7:30PM

Langdon Cook, 'The Search for Wild Salmon'

Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8^th Ave at Seneca. Seattle-based writer Langdon Cook writes about wild foods and the outdoors. This is the book launch for Upstream: Searching for Wild Salmon, from River to Table, which presents an in-depth and timely look at salmon—one of the last wild foods on our table. Cook introduces a variety of colorful people associated with this unique species, from Alaskan anglers to fish farm owners to four-star chefs. He discusses Salmon’s remarkable place at the intersection of nature, commerce, cuisine, and human history. Tickets are $5 at at or 888/377-4510. Doors open at 7pm. Downstairs at Town Hall; enter on Seneca Street.