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 CAGJ Monthly E-Newsletter | October 5, 2018

October E-News:
SLEE Gratitude!
 
CAGJ HAPPENINGS
Help CAGJ find new office
Deadline to Register: USFSA National Assembly
SUN 10/14: Food Sovereignty Prize Ceremony
10/16 FJP Meeting
AGRA Watch traveling to Senegal for AFSA Meetings
 
TAKE ACTION
Register to Vote
Vote NO on I-1634
Vote YES on I-1631
Call on WA Reps to Vote against H2A Expansion
Sign NWDCR Petitions for Immigrant Rights
 
CAGJ NEWS & ANALYSIS
New NAFTA Falls Flat for Farmers
UNHCR passes resolution adopting Declaration on Rights of Peasants
 
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Local events

 

Get Involved! Upcoming CAGJ Meetings:

Food Justice Project:
3rd Tues/month, 6:30 - 8:30; for more info email us.
 
AGRA Watch:

time varies, for more info email us


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Blogs
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AGRA Watch's Blog

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Sign up here for Food Justice Project Listserv
Sign up here for AGRA Watch Listserv
Registration closes at midnight tonight for the US Food Sovereignty Alliance Assembly - join us!

Gratitude for a beautiful SLEE 2018

THANK YOU to everyone who made CAGJ's 12th annual SLEE Dinner a powerful evening of buidling community power! A special thank you to Edgar Franks, Farmworker organizer with Community to Community Development whose keynote, “The Legacy We Inherit: Luchando por una vida AgroEcologica” was a brilliant reflection on both what we are up against, and what gives us hope in this moment of struggle to make another world possible. Check out Elliot Stoller’s photos, and the video of Edgar's keynote (many thanks to Mike McCormick for capturing the speech)!

 

Our SLEE call to action included taking this group photo, to send a strong message to WA’s Congressional delegation as well as statewide leaders to demand they vote against House Bill 6417, to prevent the expansion of the exploitative H2A visa program, and to pressure for an investigation into famworker Honesto Silva Ibarra’s death. Please share the photo on facebook and see ways to take action below.

 

We are so grateful to the many hundreds of supporters and over 70 volunteers who showed up, and made SLEE run so smoothly. We greatly appreciate our Sponsors, Community Partners, Dessert and Silent Auction donors, and the Farmers, Farmworkers, Fishermen, Fair Trade purveyors, Chefs and others whose bounty produced an unforgettable meal!

 

We will soon announce how much we raised, and if we reached our goal of $30,000; If you were not able to come, you can help us reach our goal with a donation to CAGJ today – THANK YOU!

 

CAGJ HAPPENINGS

Help CAGJ Move

CAGJ is facing a dilemma: most of our office-mates are departing! Thus we have several options you can help us with this Fall:

  1. Help us find new office-mates to share half of our 1200 square foot office in the International District; Rent including utilities is appx $800.
  2. OR Help us find a new organization to take over our office.
  3. OR Help us find a new office space, to share with WA Fair Trade Coalition.

Please send all inquiries and leads to Heather!

OCT 12-15 Bellingham
IV National Assmebly of the US Food Sovereigtny Alliance

CAGJ Members: Please join us! YOU are invited to a convergence of grassroots organizations, activists, faith-based community, scholars, union members, farmers and fisherfolk, and other food chain workers from around the world! The USFSA Assembly will be held in the style of a People’s Social Forum, encompassing a range of panels, political education, arts and other cultural exchanges to pave the way for stronger political action in the United States. This will be a space to learn and share our struggles and collective wins. Together, we aim to build lasting relationships across sectors and geographies toward community liberation and reclaiming our food system. Deadline to register is midnight tonight, FRI OCT 5! Attend one day or the full Assembly. Lodging provided. Contact CAGJ if you need financial assistance; we may be able to offer partial funding.

 

SUN Oct 14, in Bellingham, WA
10th Annual Food Soverignty Prize Award Ceremony
5:30pm - AWARD CEREMONY @ Crystal Room at the Leopold, 1224 Cornwall Ave. Bellingham
7:30pm - RECEPTION & CULTURAL SPACE @ Happy Chap, 1215 Cornwall Ave. Bellingham
JOIN US to celebrate the 10th annual Food Sovereignty Prize with the U.S. Food Sovereignty Alliance! This year’s winners are Black Mesa Water Coalition (BMWC), who will be honored for their commitment to restoring indigenous food sovereignty and uplifting youth leaders among Navaho and Hopi communities, and Organización Boricuá de Agricultura Ecológica de Puerto Rico, who will be recognized particularly for their mobilization of Food Sovereignty Brigades to assist farmers with recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Read more about the honorees here, and check out the first blog in a three-part series about the Food Sovereignty Prize recipients and their work to forge a Just Transition. This event is open to the public, and admission is free; donations gladly accepted. RSVP for the Ceremony here.
 
TUES OCT 16, 6:30 - 8:30PM
Monthly Food Justice Project Meeting
New volunteer orientation at 6pm! Please RSVP.
FJP Meetings are a great way to get involved in CAGJ! Meetings are held 3rd Tuesday/month at CAGJ’s Office in the ID, 606 Maynard Ave. S. Rm 102, Seattle. All are welcome! For more info, email the Food Justice Project.

 

AGRA Watch Members to Travel to AFSA Assembly in Senegal!

We are excited to announce that AGRA Watch leaders are traveling to Senegal in November to participate in the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) General Assembly, as well as AFSA's 2nd African Food Systems Conference! We are humbled to have been invited to apply for Associate Membership in AFSA; our application will be considered at the Assembly. Many of our longtime partners will participate in both gatherings. CAGJ staff Heather Day and Simone Adler and AGRA Watch Co-chair, Bill Aal will be traveling to Senegal, and Simone will also be hosted by our partners in Kenya before the conferences. We will document farmer and activist stories – so stay tuned for our publications over the next year – and our trip will inform our vision and strategy going forward. THANK YOU to the generous donors who have agreed to fund our trip!

 


TAKE ACTION

 

REGISTER TO VOTE!

The midterm elections are upon us, and there are several important initiatives in our state! Make sure you are registered to vote! Find out how here: MON Oct 8 is the “deadline for online and mail-in voter registration, all address changes, name changes, and other updates.” MON Oct 29 is the “deadline for in-person new Washington State voter registration.”

 

Vote NO on I-1634! Say YES to Food Access Programs from the Sugary Beverage tax
Support grassroots organizing for food access led by our friends at Got Green! Big Soda industries and the American Beverage Association are funding I-1634 and misleadingly calling it “Yes to affordable groceries” – but they care more about profit than food access. Seattle’s Sugary Beverage Tax is directing $2.8 million toward community-driven food access initiatives, including the expansion of Fresh Bucks to people in the food security gap, to make farmers markets and healthy food more accessible. This is what true affordable groceries looks like! I-1634 would prevent other cities and towns in WA state from passing similar legislation. Learn more.
 
SAT Oct 6, 10am-2pm Door Knock with Got Green

Meet at Got Green’s office 6230 Beacon Ave S. (in the green house directly behind Bethany church) for orientation training before door-knocking in South Seattle neighborhoods. Childcare, lunch, and snacks will be provided. Water will be provided but please bring a water bottle.

Spread the word to Vote NO on I-1634 by door-knocking on Oct 6, and amplify on social media: #NOtoBigSoda1634 #YEStoFoodAccess! #VoteNo on #1634.

 

Vote YES on I-1631
Make History and Vote for Climate Justice this Fall – Yes on 1631!
This fall, make sure you vote by Nov 6th to be part of history and pass a game-changing climate justice policy! Initiative 1631, championed by the largest and most diverse coalition in state history, (including CAGJ!), is a measure that requires polluters to pay a fee that goes directly into funding solutions to the harms they generate. What makes this initiative so special and innovative is that it was written with communities of color leading the way. As a result, the initiative offers solutions that are actually intersectional and equitable – a rare find in Washington ballot measures! The oil industry has poured over $20 million into opposition ads against I-1631. That is A LOT to spend on a state-level initiative, and it sends a signal to climate change advocates everywhere about how important this initiative is. Learn more in this blog post from FJP Volunteer, Christina Rajan.

 

Right a Great Wrong! No More Farmworker Deaths in Washington
Last summer, farmworker Honesto Silva Ibarra died after being denied medical treatment by Sarbanand Farms in Sumas, WA. Sarbanand is owned by an out-of-state agri-corporation, Munger Farms. Silva, a contracted H2A guestworker from Mexico hired to pick blueberries, was forced to meet abusive production standards under hot, smoky conditions from BC wildfires with inadequate food and water. In 2017 Sarbanand was one of only two farms in Whatcom County using the exploitative H2A guestworker program. The H2A program, which has been called “close to slavery” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, brings farmworkers to work in the US with a visa only for a specific employer - uprooting communities in Mexico while displacing local workers, and laying the groundwork for exploitation. Contact C2C to get involved: [email protected]
 
Fight the expansion of H2A in Whatcom County and WA State!
1. Call your Congressional Representatives to demand they vote NO on House Bill 6417, The Ag and Legal Workforce Act, which would expand the H2A program into even more industries in the food chain and eliminate crucial worker protections. Find your Rep at www.house.gov
 

2. Call the Dept. of Labor and Industries Director Joel Sacks (360-902-5584) and demand that he re-open the investigation into Honesto Silva Ibarra’s death at Sarbanand. Tell them to demand that the Governor convene a task force on the H2A program.

 

Abolish ICE!  End Immigrant Detention & Deportation
Northwest Detention Center Resistance (NWDC Resistance) is a grassroots undocumented led movement that works to end the detention of immigrants and stop all deportations. Under the umbrella of the national #Not1More campaign, NWDC Resistance supports and follows the leadership of those detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, WA demanding better treatment and conditions and the stop to all deportations. Just last week, there was an outbreak of both contagious diseases and health hazards due to an e-waste fire. This coincided with a 5-week hunger strike demanding among other things access to medical care. Learn more and get involved at nwdcresistance.org. Follow @NWDCResistance
 

Petitions to Support the demands of NWDC Resistance

1. SIGN HERE to stop transfer of immigrants in ICE custody to federal prisons: Urge the Bureau of Prisons to withdraw from their insidious agreement with ICE and prevent any future agreements between the two agencies.

 

2. SIGN HERE to stop medical neglect and human rights violations at the Northwest Detention Center: Urge Governor Jay Inslee, Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodward, and city and state lawmakers to cancel the business license of the Northwest Detention Center, support the immediate release of all those with medical issues including those with varicella (chicken-pox) or exposed to varicella, and permanently shut down of the facility.

 


CAGJ NEWS & ANALYSIS

New NAFTA Falls Flat for Farmer, Food Advocates: The reworked agreement between the US, Mexico and Camada neglects the demands of farm groups
Press release from Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
In response to the release of the text of a "New NAFTA," now called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) between the three North American nations, IATP Executive Director Juliette Majot issued the following statement: "The reworked NAFTA agreement entrenches agribusiness control over supply chains, seeks to streamline approval and trade of controversial agricultural biotechnology products, fails to protect consumers’ right to know what’s in their food and where it is produced, and worsens the devastating impacts of climate change. IATP and our allies in farming communities in the United States, Canada and Mexico have demanded a different kind of trade deal for decades. We want trade rules that support strong, sustainable and fair food systems and rural economies. This reworked agreement achieves none of this. One of the key sticking points was the U.S. demand that Canada dismantle its successful dairy supply management program. The Canadian government has agreed to end certain restrictions on dairy imports and grant additional market access for U.S. dairy. These concessions will weaken the Canadian system with no clear benefit for U.S. dairy farmers, especially the small, family farms bearing the brunt of the current crisis. The U.S. dairy crisis stems from massive oversupply produced through mega-sized dairy operations where dairy farmers continue to suffer from prices below the cost of production. In Canada, the supply management system has kept a majority of dairy farms in the hands of family farmers, without reliance on public subsidies. Trade agreements and the U.S. Farm Bill should prioritize local production and rural livelihoods. Weakening Canada’s successful supply management program will do nothing to achieve those goals. Read the rest of the statement.

 

UN Human Rights Council passes a resolution adopting the peasant rights declaration in Geneva 

On September 28, member nations of United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) passed a resolution concluding the UN Declaration for the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas! The resolution was passed with 33 votes in favor, 11 abstentions and 3 against. The United States did not participate in this vote as it is no longer a member of the UNHCR. (In June, Nikki Haley, Ambassador to the UN, announced the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw the US from the UNHCR.) In 2008, La Via Campesina, the global movement of peasants, indigenous people, pastoralists and migrant workers, adopted a Declaration on the Rights of Peasants, and brought this to the UNHCR. Seventeen years later, the food sovereignty movement is just one step away from having a UN Declaration for peasants and rural workers that upholds rights to land, seeds, biodiversity, local markets, and much more. The resolution will go before the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York this month, and in November it will be up for voting and adoption by all Member States of the United Nations.

 “This has been a long tough path but as peasants, as people who have seen the worst of poverty and neglect, we are tough too and we never give up”, says Elizabeth Mpofu, the General Coordinator of La Via Campesina. “Once adopted, the UN Declaration will become a powerful tool for peasants and other people working in rural areas to seek justice and favourable national policies around food, agriculture, seeds and land keeping in mind the interests of millions of rural food producers comprising all genders and youth.” Read the full Press Release from La Via Campesina here.


COMMUNITY CALENDAR

 

OCT 5-14

Social Justice Film Festival

The 2018 Social Justice Film Festival begins this weekend! Come out for the Opening Night on Friday, "Justice in Immigration," and Saturday's special event, "Truth to Power: Unapologetically Black Voices in Civic Leadership." The rest of the weekend features a compelling line-up of films on topics such as restorative justice, rural healthcare & the opioid crisis, and just treatment of the elderly. View the full program here and be sure to secure your tickets!

 

FRI OCT 5, 6:30pm

Justice in Immigration: Documentary Films and Discussion

If hope is a discipline and democracy our foundation, we must face the inhumanity of separating families and dehumanizing communities. 

Join us at University Christian Church for discussion and films documenting the changing lines of identity, immigration, and institutions. Undeterred is a documentary about community resistance on the rural border town of Arivaca, Arizona. Stay for a talk with filmmaker Eva Lewis and with Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and ACLU-WA about steps they’re taking to protect immigrant rights, closer to home. Sponsored by and benefiting the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. General Admission: $15 | Senior/Student/Low-Income: $10 | BUY TICKETS

 

SAT OCT 6, 4-5:30pm

Opening Reception for This Is Our Home, Where We Belong

Hosted by Yəhaw̓ Show - Indigenous Creatives and The Seattle Public Library

Location: Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th AVE, Seattle, WA 98104

Join the opening reception for This Is Our Home, Where We Belong. This exhibit will feature the original artwork of five Coast Salish women exploring environmental justice, identity, and place. The project’s curator Denise Emerson is also Coast Salish, of the Twana people, and this is her first curatorial project. The reception starts with light refreshments in the Auditorium on Level 1 and then moves to the Level 8 Gallery to enjoy the artwork. More info on the reception and the ongoing exhibit at  and on the Library’s event calendar page.

 

SAT OCT 6, 7pm

TRUTH TO POWER: Unapologetically Black Voices in Civic Leadership

Join us at Northwest African American Museum for the documentary My People Are Rising and short film Sincerely, The Black Kids. Stay to discuss the impact of Seattle’s Black Panther Party on its 50th anniversary and the institutional challenges that black student leaders face on mostly white college campuses today. Speakers include Aaron Dixon, founder of Seattle’s Black Panther party at age 19; community leader and educator Omari Amili; and Tony Benton, Station Manager for RainierAvenueRadio.World. Ticket includes entry to NAAM’s exhibit “Power to the People: Seattle Black Panther Party at 50.” Sponsored by the Northwest African American Museum. General Admission: $15 | Senior/Student/Low-Income: $10 | BUY TICKETS

 

WED OCT 24, 12-1:30pm

The Role of Politics in a Time of Transition

The Seattle Metropolitan Democratic Club is hosting author and activist David Korten for a discussion. The unfolding of global, environmental, social, and governance collapse is being witnessed within a political system captive to establishment interests, and grounded in false values, flawed assumptions and simplistic ideologies. Mr. Korten will explore a path to change that begins with honest dialogue that reaches across political class gender and racial lines to draw in young people, new leadership and alliances. More info.

 
 
 

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Community Alliance for Global Justice
1322 S Bayview St, Ste 300
Seattle, WA 98144