CAGJ Monthly E-Newsletter | July 6, 2021
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CAGJ Monthly E-Newsletter | July 6, 2021
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July E-News
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CAGJ HAPPENINGS
TAKE ACTION
CAGJ NEWS &
ANALYSIS
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Get Involved! Upcoming CAGJ Meetings:
Food Justice Project: 3rd Tues/month, 6:30 - 8:30; for more info email us. Meetings are on hold while Summer School is in session.
AGRA Watch: time varies, for more info email us
Social Media
Blogs CAGJ's blog Listservs |
CAGJ's New Digital Zine is LAUNCHED!
"Recipes for a New Normal"
For the past few months, our team has been working hard to create an incredible website to home our free digital zine. The time has finally come to share it with you all! We are so pleased to share the digital edition of Our Food, Our Right, 3rd Edition: Recipes for a New Normal: https://zine.cagj.org. Soon we will offer printed Zine! Our new zine features art, stories and recipes from over 30 contributors. Comic strips, photography, block prints, mixed media, a song in three part harmony and instructions for creating a fortune teller. Illustrated stories and poems from Punjab, Puerto Rico and Indigenous Alaska. Recipes as story-telling for tea, cookies, truffles, soups, salmon, flors de calabaza and more. We could not be more grateful to our contributors for being the heart of this publication. We thank our collective of 14 volunteers who assisted in the visioning, compiling, editing, recipe testing, design, and publication process. And thanks to everyone who donated to our #FundOurArtists campaign and contributed to making this publication widely available and accessible to all! We would love to hear about how it lands with you - what emotions the stories evoke, how they play amidst your own constellation of dreams, what this feels like to read about as 2021 plows right along. Feel free to drop Momo ([email protected]) a line if sharing your reflections feels right and she’ll be sure to share with the collective. You’re also invited to share reflections on social media & be sure to tag CAGJ - Thank you! CAGJ HAPPENINGS Welcome to Former AGRA Watch Co-Chair, Ashley Fent!
After a wide search, with over a dozen excellent candidates, we are thrilled to have found the perfect candidate for our AGRA Watch consultancy! Ashley Fent initially volunteered with CAGJ while living in Seattle from 2006 to 2010. She assisted in writing the initial proposal for AGRA Watch, and then acted as Co-Chair. She holds a BA in Geography from University of Washington, an MA in Anthropology and African Studies from Columbia University, and a PhD in Geography from UCLA. She has spent over ten years doing research and building connections in West Africa, and is passionate about using applied and strategic research to advance food sovereignty and environmental justice. She also enjoys experimenting with creative artistic, visual, and textual approaches in activism and communications. She currently teaches at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, and is originally from Puyallup, WA.
"Disarming Gates": Participatory Theater at the Gates Foundation
Global Action Against the United Nations Food Systems Summit
Location: 440 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98109 On Friday, July 16th at 12pm, we invite you to join CAGJ/AGRA Watch for a creative action at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters in Seattle. We will be filming a lively, highly participatory theatre piece, “Disarming Gates”, written by AGRA Watch and playwright Edward Mast as our contribution to a global online rally challenging the upcoming United Nations Food Systems Pre-Summit in Rome. Together, we say NO to philanthrocapitalist control, and YES to reclaiming peoples’ sovereignty over food systems! Come prepared to embody the transformation needed for food sovereignty; both participants and observers are welcome! Delicious locally sourced lunch and Fair Trade coffee provided! Registration appreciated but not required. Learn more about the UN Food Systems Summit. You are also invited to the Art-Build at CAGJ’s office to prepare for the July 16 action! When: WED July 14, 2-8PM. Where: 1322 S Bayview St Seattle 98144 on Beacon Hill. Everyone can help (no artistic skills needed)! Please RSVP to Noël: [email protected] SAT July 17, 9am - 4pm PDT Agenda: For those based in Seattle: Depart 9AM, arrive at farm 11AM. We will meet the Farmworker leaders who founded the Cooperative, and lend a hand for a couple of hours. Bring a bag lunch. Depart 2PM to arrive back in Seattle at 4PM. Times may vary depending on traffic. Location: 2 hour drive north of Seattle: 1240 Central Road, Everson, WA, 99247. Carpool!: If you are fully vaccinated and can offer a ride, or if you need a ride, please provide your info in this GSHEET - Thanks! CAGJ's Rise Up! Summer School Registration Deadline Watch the Rise Up! Launch Panel Recording
We opened Rise Up! Summer School last week with a panel showcasing CAGJ's partners’ current Food Sovereignty struggles, how they build joy, care and culture into their change work, and how their connection across Washington’s food chain strengthens their organizing. Take a listen! Speakers:
Seeking Table Captains, Sponsors & Silent Auction Items!
Support CAGJ’s 15th annual SLEE Gala! Email [email protected]
Keynote Raj Patel Launches New Film! 
GET INVOLVED IN CAGJ Build Organizing Skills with Food Justice Project, AGRA Watch, and/or SLEE - CAGJ's Annual Food Justice Dinner
Are you passionate about Food Sovereignty and economic justice? Want to build your outreach, organizational, research, communications, networking, and nonprofit management skills? We are seeking interns to support all of our organizing, including our Food Justice Project and AGRA Watch campaign. And we want you to help us coordinate our 15th annual SLEE Gala! SLEE is a powerful community-building fundraiser that makes our organizing possible. Learn more. Through all internships you’ll build your leadership and initiative-taking skills while also having access to mentorship and political education. Internships are unpaid. Timeline and location are flexible (most coordination is done via Zoom). Learn more and apply now.
Join CAGJ's Steering Committee!
Looking for a way to support one of your favorite organizations in a crucial way, with a few hours of volunteer work per month? Look no further! The Treasurer is the chief financial officer of the organization, accountable to the Steering Committee. We ask for a minimum one-year commitment. The purpose of this volunteer position is to safeguard CAGJ funds and assure that they are spent in a financially responsible manner, consistent with the policies and budgets of the Steering Committee. Read the full job description, and contact [email protected] if you are interested!
TAKE ACTION Tell Germany: Free the Vaccine!
Location: The German House: 613 9th Ave. Seattle, WA 98104
Thanks to the work of millions of activists all over the US, the Biden administration has voiced support for the TRIPS waiver, an essential step to make the Covid vaccine more widely accessible, especially in the Global South. Now, the EU, led by Germany, is blocking the waiver at the WTO. On July 15th, Merkel will be visiting the US for a goodbye tour as she leaves her Chancellor position. During her visit, there'll be a week of action with events at German Consulates across the US demanding that Germany stop blocking the waiver and agree to Free the Vaccine! Sponsored by WA Fair Trade Coalition, contact Hillary if you have questions: [email protected]
Sign the Petition from PAN-International
CAGJ is excited to share a new global petition in support of the campaign to Stop the #ToxicAlliance between the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) and CropLife International, the global trade association representing all of the largest agrochemical, pesticide and seed companies. A partnership between FAO and CropLife would give additional space for these pesticide and GM seed manufacturers to more aggressively promote such harmful and deadly technologies in order to increase their profits and control global food systems. Learn more about the campaign and sign the petition here.
A Unifying Framework for Food Systems Transformation
In view of the upcoming UN Food System Summit and other major international meetings in which the future of food systems will also be discussed, a broad range of organizations and movements have come together to call for an urgent food system transformation to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity, and to uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. The Call agrees that the set of 13 Principles for food systems transformation described in the 2019 report of the High-Level Panel on Food Security and Nutrition must serve as a basis for the transformation we urgently need. It stresses that the full set of 13 principles must be respected and cautions against co-optation and green-washing by organizations that use terms such as agroecology or regenerative agriculture, but do not intend to implement all 13 principles. We invite as many organizations, countries, movements and individuals as possible to join us in signing this Call, and welcome its use as part of any advocacy efforts to bring about food systems transformation.
TAKE ACTION: Stop the corporate capture of the UN Food Systems Summit! Join CAGJ/AGRA Watch and a growing number of signatories, and sign the Call today:
Contact Your Legislators through RAFI-USA
As shared by National Family Farm Coalition, of which CAGJ is a member: Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA offers an opportunity to #TakeActionToday on behalf of small farmers seeking debt relief from their Farm Service Agency loans. This legislation will provide much needed financial assistance for farmers who have not been well served by USDA programs but put food on our tables every day. We have seen too much economic suffering, and too many farms lost, emphasizing the urgent need for decisive action from Congress and targeted support by federal agencies. Thanks for taking action and sharing widely!
CAGJ NEWS & ANALYSIS Scientific American Op-Ed, by AFSA's Million Belay and Bridget Mugambe
July 6 - Africans have long been told that our agriculture is backward and should be abandoned for a 21st-century version of the Green Revolution that enabled India to feed itself. Western science and technology, in the form of seeds modified by science and technology, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, petroleum-fueled machinery and artificial irrigation were key to that miracle, we are informed, and we too need to tread that path. Keep reading.
For more analysis of the Gates Foundation:
By Maywa Montenegro, Matthew Canfield (AGRA Watch Member), and Alastair Iles
SANTA CRUZ, California, Jun 25 2021 (IPS) - In July, the United Nations will convene “Science Days”, a high-profile event in preparation for the UN Food Systems Summit later this year. Over the course of two days, the world will be treated to a parade of Zoom sessions aimed at “highlighting the centrality of science, technology and innovation for food systems transformation.
Nobody disputes the need for urgent action to transform the food system. But the UNFSS has been criticized by human rights experts for its top-down and non-transparent organization. Indigenous peoples, peasants, and civil society groups around the world know their hard-won rights are under attack. Many are protesting the summit’s legitimacy and organizing counter-mobilizations. Keep reading.
SAT July 10, 8 - 10pm PDT
"Whale People: Protectors of the Sea": Outdoor Exhibition & IMAX-Style Film (#Red Road to DC)
Vashon Heritage Museum, backyard
Narrated by the late Chief Tsilixw Bill James of the Lummi Nation, Lummi Master Carver Jewell James, and Amy Ta’ah George of Tsleil-Waututh Nation, this exhibition features a 3,000 pound killer whale (orca) totem carved by the House of Tears Carvers and an award-winning multi-channel film installation that tells the story of the environmental emergency through the figure of the killer whale. It also tells the story of the leadership of Native Nations in protecting the Salish Sea, the orcas, the salmon, and our collective future.
The exhibition has been viewed in museums across the country--now it’s coming home to the Pacific Northwest. An outdoor exhibition venue fabricated by Vashon Island artist Otong Durahim has been created so it can be experienced with Salish Sea as the backdrop, and the stars shining overhead. Join us for the opening featuring speakers, blessing, drummers, and song. Please wear your mask. Facebook event.
Starting July 10, 11am PDT
African American Urban Gardening Workshop with Clean Greens Market
Mission: To empower people of color and intercity residents by teaching them how to grow their own food. Urban Gardening Workshop: 4 classes. Ages: Children of all ages. From infants to 120 years and beyond. 4 and under needs to be accompanied by a parent or authorized guardian at all times. 5 and up must be serious about planting. RSVP: [email protected]
FRI July 17, 1pm PDT
Welcome Back to the Chinatown-International District
Welcome back to the Chinatown-International District! The City of Seattle and partners are teaming up to welcome you back downtown to enjoy our beautiful Seattle summers with three large-scale events taking place in the Chinatown-International District, Pioneer Square, and Westlake. To kick off our Welcome Back Weeks, we're hosting a two-day celebration of local food and culture at Hing Hay Park on July 17 and 18! This event is free and all are welcome. See the Facebook event.
SAT July 18, 10am - 3pm PDT
Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands Farm Fest
Join the fun! Festivities will include fun activities for the whole family. Pick blueberries in the food forest, attend cooking demonstrations, discover the wetlands, plant seeds and more. We'll also be making herb crowns to wear! Local businesses and community organizations will be serving up refreshments and providing additional opportunities for getting involved in Rainier Beach. More info.
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