Tues Jan 23, 1:30-5:30PM

11th Annual Farmworker Tribunal at WA State Capitol in Olympia

Join us as we witness Familias Unidas por las Justicia and Community to Community present their 11th Annual Farmworker Tribunal at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia! CAGJ's director Heather Day has been invited to preside as one of the tribunal's judges. Farmworkers recognize that their issues are symptoms of an unjust and unsustainable for-profit agricultural industry locally and globally. Since 2013, Farmworkers have converged on the state capitol for the annual Tribunal to present evidence of mistreatment and engage lawmakers in policy solutions. "Nothing about us without us!" Tribunal starts at 1:30pm; Celebration and Dinner at 4:00pm. Location: State Capitol Campus Cherberg BLDG 2nd Floor: JAC A/B/C. For more information email Victor Rodriguez. CAGJ will help provide carpools from Seattle to Olympia and back - sign up here.

Author Tim Schwab in conversation with Ashley Fent, Jesse Hagopian & Steve Gloyd: Watch the video

Get the book: The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the Myth of the Good Billionaire

We were very pleased to have a full house when we hosted author Tim Schwab on December 6th at Town Hall Seattle! In his new book The Bill Gates Problem (purchase at Powell's bookstore), Schwab argues that while Gates may be well-meaning as a philanthropist, he is helping people the only way he knows how: by taking control, often in ways that hurt the very people he aims to help. The Gates Foundation presents a stunning display of undemocratic power by a tech billionaire that is more oligarchy than charity - and that must be challenged. We urged all participants to take action; see below for how you can get engaged! See Alex Garland’s photos of the event.

Learn more about Schwab’s investigation in our videos! The event was emceed by AGRA Watch researcher Ashley Fent, with discussants Jesse Hagopian, Public educator and a leader of the movement to resist standardized testing, and Steve Gloyd, Physician and faculty, UW Department of Global Health. Watch the full discussion on YouTube. Or watch an abridged version.

2023 Food Sovereignty Prize Ceremony

Celebrate Awardees Black Dirt Farm Collective (Maryland, US) and Mouvman Peyizan Papy (Haiti)

Watch the Award Ceremony!

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2023 Food Sovereignty Prize, given annually by the US Food Sovereignty Alliance (USFSA)! The Food Sovereignty Prize was first awarded in 2009 (CAGJ received Honorable Mention!) as an alternative to the World Food Prize founded by “the father of the Green Revolution,” the late Norman Borlaug. While the World Food Prize emphasizes increased production through technology, the Food Sovereignty Prize champions solutions coming from those most impacted by the injustices of the global food system. In honoring those who are taking back their food systems, the Food Sovereignty Prize affirms that nothing short of the true democratization of our food system will enable us to end hunger once and for all.

TAKE ACTION

Hold Gates Accountable and Fight Biollionaires' Hoarding of Wealth: Demand Wealth Taxes & Tax Reform!

These actions were developed with author and activist Tim Schwab, with whom we collaborated for his book event in December. See more suggested actions on CAGJ’s website.

1. Contact your WA State Legislators

In 2023, members of the Washington State legislature introduced a proposal for a new tax on extreme wealth among billionaires. Send a comment to your State Senator and Representatives about why these bills are so important! Link to Senate Bill 5486 & House Bill 1743. Find our sample message on our website.

2. Contact your members of Congress

At the federal level, contact your representatives to let them know why they should continue pushing for a wealth tax on billionaires and reforms to the tax code to stop billionaires from evading taxation through private foundations. Find your Senators here; Find your Representative here. Find a sample message to send on our website.

3. Demand more investigation and oversignt of Gates in WA State
Write to the Washington State Attorney General here, and your members of Congress to demand an investigation into how the Gates Foundation uses its tax-free money earmarked for charity to fund private business interests. Find sample message on our website.

CAGJ NEWS & ANALYSIS

Proposed Megagrocery Merger is a Threat to Both Workers & Consumers

January 3, 2024 - Heather Day & Wallace Lourenco Vlaskamp, Real Change

Our neighborhood grocery stores have always been a critical part of our communities. For generations, these stores have been the places where most people around the Sound buy their food and household supplies and often get their prescriptions filled each week. But now, these neighborhood anchors are under serious threat by the propose Kroger and Albertsons mega merger. We’re part of a national coalition called “Stop the Merger,” which has a mission to prevent this merger, and we’re here to tell you why. Read more.

From Hope to Discontent: Africa's Profound Disappointment in Stalled COP 28 Agriculture Negotiations

December 9, 2024 - Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa

At the conclusion of COP28, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) expressed deep disappointment with the stalled negotiations on agriculture, particularly the Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Agriculture and Food Security (SSJW). While AFSA appreciated initial actions like the loss and damage deal and the focus on food systems transformation, we are concerned about the deadlock in negotiations and the postponement of discussions until June 2024. This delay significantly impacts the potential for effective climate action in African agriculture. AFSA also noted with alarm the omission of food systems transformation from the recent draft of the Global Stocktake, a critical element in climate mitigation and adaptation. In response, AFSA urges immediate action to resolve the SSJW impasse, inclusion of food systems in the Global Stocktake, continued emphasis on agroecology, prioritization of community-focused climate solutions, and targeted climate finance for agroecology. AFSA remains committed to advocating for agroecology in climate policies and decisions, emphasizing the urgent need for decisive action to secure the future of food systems and the well-being of millions. Read the full statement.

Regenerative Agriculture was a Good Idea, until Corporations Got Ahold of It

December 1, 2023 - GRAIN

Food and agribusiness giants have coalesced around the term "regenerative agriculture" to signal their commitment to climate change and sustainability. This year's COP28 will showcase regenerative agriculture prominently, and the term is gaining traction in policy circles, investor conferences and supermarket shelves. But it is just the latest iteration of an on-going corporate strategy to undercut support for agroecology and shore up corporate profits amid multiple crises caused by the model of industrial agriculture they depend on. Read more.

The Farmers Leaning on Each Other's Tools

January 8, 2024 - Grey Moran, Civil Eats
The cost of specialized farm equipment is one of the biggest barriers for small-scale and beginning farmers. Cooperatives are springing up around the nation to help bridge the gap. Read more.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

SAT Jan 20, 12 - 3PM

Seed Swap & Community Kitchen

Join Tilth Alliance, the Friends of Rainier Beach Urban Farm & Wetlands, the Garden Hotline, and the Community Kitchen Meals program for a delightful and delicious afternoon seed swap! Bring your extra seeds, your garden questions and your appetite. RSVP appreciated but not required. More info.

WED Jan 24, 6:30PM

The Cooking Gene: Tracing My African American Story Through Food

Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave (Entrance off Seneca St.)

For African American culinary historian Michael W. Twitty there was a giant hole in the story of American cooking as big as the one in the story of most African American families. Putting the microscope on himself, Michael decided to fully trace his family history through the story of Southern and American food. Using genetic research, historical interpretation, nature study, heirloom gardening, and interviews with contemporary voices in food, his journey led him back to his family’s origins in West and Central Africa and a front-row seat in the debate over race and food in American life. Registration is free! More info.

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