CAGJ Monthly E-Newsletter | May 6 2020
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CAGJ Monthly E-Newsletter | May 6 2020
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May E-News:
#GiveBIG for CAGJ Membership Month
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.
AGRA Watch: time varies, for more info email us
Social Media
Blogs CAGJ's blog AGRA Watch's Blog Listservs |
#GiveBIG for Food Sovereignty & Just Transition
Become a CAGJ Member or Renew for Our Collective Future
Today, May 6th is #GiveBIG, the annual online giving event hosted by 501 Commons. We know many of you are hard hit by the current crisis and are giving to many critical causes. If you still have the means to make a gift, this is a great time, as we have a $5000 Membership Month matching grant thanks to UFCW 21 and generous Members! What does your donation support? CAGJ is in a unique position to build solidarity during the pandemic.
Gifts of all sizes are appreciated and go a long ways! CAGJ's grassroots fundraising model relies on Members who give us the independence we need to take on powerful corporate and philanthropic actors currently undermining food sovereignty. Thank you for helping us to build power to make another world possible. You have options!
Thank you!
CAGJ HAPPENINGS Cultivating Resilient Food Systems in Times of Crisis
Rise Up! Summer School is CAGJ's 3-month political education and leadership development program for community members, which offers an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the problems in our food system, while being part of creating the change we want to see. Across the world, we are facing a confluence of crises. The COVID-19 outbreak is magnifying racial and economic inequality. Industrial food production is accelerating climate change and increasing global food insecurity. These crises incite political instability and mass human displacement at an unprecedented scale, and now the pandemic is exposing the vulnerability of our globalized food system to collapse. Together, we will delve into why the movement for Food Sovereignty is needed now more than ever, to cultivate resilient food systems and justice for all!
All discussions will take place by zoom (unless public health guidelines change) on Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30pm, on these dates: June 16, July 21, and August 18. Week-end field trips will be added, depending on status of COVID-19. Free and open to all! Learn more here! Registration for Summer School is required; click here. Monthly Food Justice Project Meeting via Zoom
Summer School Organizing!
Join us to plan the June session of Rise Up! Summer School, a political education and leadership development program for community members entering its second iteration! FJP Meetings are a great way to get involved in CAGJ, and are held the 3rd Tuesday/month. New volunteers are invited to our orientation via ZOOM at 6pm: Please email us to let us know you're attending the orientation. All are welcome! For more info, email the Food Justice Project.
14TH Annual SLEE Dinner with Chef Tarik Abdullah
CAGJ is going forward with SLEE! 2020 organizing at this time, knowing that the dinner might have to be held virtually, or postponed. CAGJ relies on so many in our community to make SLEE successful, including farmers, local businesses, activists, artists, chefs, volunteers, and more. We recognize that many of our supporters are struggling right now, and we will strive to face these challenges together.
Announcing our Keynote Speaker Chef Tarik Abdullah, "Feed the People: Food, Kids, Community". Chef Tarik is doing amazing work right now to #feedthepeople during COVID-19 with the Seattle Kitchen Collective. Meals provided no questions asked. Learn more and donate to the Kitchen via Tarik’s Venmo account: @Tarik-Abdullah We are seeking interns to help with outreach starting immediately, and volunteers to plug in to the many roles that make SLEE a vibrant community gathering. Help us develop the SLEE program, create social media, do outreach and more! We are happy to work with students to fulfill requirements for academic credit. Political education is incorporated into all internnships, and there are many opportunitises to be involved in CAGJ programs including Summer School! Timeframe is flexible. Read about internships, and how to apply on our website. Email Sara if you want to join our 2020 SLEE team - thank you!
TAKE ACTION On May Day, Community to Community and Farmworker union Familas Unidas por la Justícia honored the essential labor of farmworkers who work to produce the food we all eat, as we do on all days. Alongside El Comité, members of the union and C2C led a caravan to the state capitol in Olympia and confronted the government with the cost of ignoring farmworkers’ needs and rights. In the time of a pandemic, the already abysmal conditions under which farmworkers are made to labor have only grown more inadequate. Farmworkers’ housing, food, pay, and PPE are all far from meeting the basic standards befitting any worker, much less those who have been designated as “essential” by the government themselves. C2C and FUJ's mística lay the symbolic burden that the government and consumers in mass must be willing to confront if they continue pushing farmworkers to labor without dignity, care, and protection. View beautiful photos of action.
The 250 farmworker families that make up the union Familas Unidas por la Justícia need your support! If you can afford to donate your stimullus check, please make a gift to FUJ today!
While many Farmers Markets throughout the state have re-opened, many market vendors are offering food delivery and pickup options. Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Markets has compiled a comprehensive list of vendors, including a map of pick up and drop off locations. You can also search for a local CSA here. Stay connected! Like Washington Farmers Market Association and Seattle Famers Markets on Facebook to stay informed regarding farmers market announcements and opportunities to support our local farming community.
CAGJ NEWS & ANALYSIS In February 2020, President Trump and Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta announced their intent to negotiate a bilateral free trade agreement, and in March, Trump formally notified Congress of its intention to move forward with negotiations. In April CAGJ submitted a letter to the US Trade Representative expressing our concerns with the proposed agreement, including the timing of negotiations, as we are in the midst of global pandemic. Many points echo those made by Citizens Trade Campaign. Please also see comments submitted by Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and National Family Farm Coalition, and watch Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch video on what the US-Kenya FTA should look like, with Lori Wallach. We are also collaborating with our East African partners to share information and analysis.
CAGJ was honored to participate in a recent action in solidarity with Macy’s workers, who are members of our solidarity campaign partner UFCW 21. Macy’s workers are facing COVID-19 store shutdowns with little information and support from their employer, despite having given years of service to their store and communities. We’re calling on Macy's to provide paid leave for those workers whose stores are temporarily closed, assistance to those who have to file for unemployment benefits, and fair severance in case of a permanent store closure. Check out the video from Macy’s workers and their allies and customers, including CAGJ’s Summer School Organizing Collective, then sign the petition for fair treatment during this crisis!
Learning Together: The Agrecology Movement Shares Strategies for Impact A photo essay on the Feb. 2020 Agroecology Fund Global Learning Exchange in India, By Rucha Chitnis
This report is gorgeously presented through photos - we highly recommend taking a look! “From tackling hunger, poverty and inequality to responding to climate change to safeguarding biodiversity and expanding nutritional choice, agroecology echoes the goals of the 2030 Agenda,” states a recent FAO report. In fact, it is widely acknowledged that agroecological practices are key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In February this year, more than 100 participants from nearly 30 countries gathered together for a week-long global learning exchange on agroecology. These practitioners work at the intersection of policy, scientific research, grassroots movement building and natural farming practices. They were joined by 18 donors, a half-dozen advisors, and other agroecology allies. The exchange was hosted by the Agroecology Fund (AEF) in collaboration with Amrita Bhoomi, a farmer-centered agroecology training center in rural Karnataka (southern India) which is part of the South Asia chapter of La Via Campesina. “There’s never been a more important moment to invest in agroecology than right now. Agroecology is an innovative solution for the multiple crises we are facing right now, from climate change to food insecurity to the loss of biodiversity,” said Daniel Moss, the executive director of the Agroecology Fund.
WED May 6 and May 13, 6:00PM
Got Green Emergency Justice: four week series
Weekly education & action series. Guest speakers include: Violet Lavatai (Tenants Union of WA), Davin Cardenas (Right to the City Alliance), Maru Mora-Villalpando (La Resistencia), Will Jimerson (Black Prisoners Caucus), JM Wong (COVID-19 Mutual Aid Network), Nikkita Oliver (Seattle People's Party), Edgar Franks (Familias Unidas Por La Justicia), and Matt Remle (Mazaska Talks). Topics: May 6 -- Decarceration, May 13 -- Post Pandemic. Learn more.
THU May 7 (and weekly through June 11), 12:00PM
COVID 19 Latinx Community calls Washington State
Agenda: updates from Governor Inslee's office, State Agencies, Community Organizations and regional updates from community leaders. We believe collaborating as much as possible during the pandemic will better serve our communities. Meetings co facilitated by Latino Civic Alliance & Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs. Learn more.
SAT May 9, 12:00-2:3PM
Onto the Ballot: Tax Amazon Rally and Signature Collection!
In solidarity with the movement to tax Amazon and other big businesses, Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Tammy Morales have introduced Tax Amazon legislation that is now moving through City Council, with a final committee vote scheduled for WED May 13. The Amazon Tax will build up to 8,000 new permanently affordable homes over the next ten years, upgrade tens of thousands of homes to Green New Deal standards, and generate thousands of high-quality, urgently needed jobs. Learn more and event details here.
SAT May 9, 10:00AM
Tilth Alliance: Composting 101 (Live virtual class)
Learn how to create rich compost using food scraps, livestock manure and yard waste during this online class. Compost is fundamental to organic vegetable gardening and will improve and enliven any type of garden soil. Learn more.
**Additional virtual Tilth Alliance classes are offered through May and June at varying dates/times** view full schedule here.
SUN May 10, 7:30PM
Rebecca Henderson (livestream): Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire
Free market capitalism is one of the greatest sources of prosperity the world has ever seen. But this success comes at a cost. Economist Rebecca Henderson cautions that the time for action is running short, and that we must alter course soon before the wealth imbalance in the capitalist system destabilizes our society. Henderson presents rigorous research in economics, psychology, and organizational behavior, drawing from her many years of work with companies around the world—and her book Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire—to give us a path forward towards reinstating capitalism’s moral and ethical framework. Learn more.
MON May 11, 6:00-6:30PM
350 Seattle Virtual Town Hall: Big Business Tax
How can we support our community during the COVID-19 pandemic while building power for the future? For starters, we're fighting for a progressive tax in Seattle to protect those most vulnerable to the global pandemic — and other now-compounded crises. 350 Seattle is establishing a digital space where we can connect with each other, learn more about the movement, strategize, and build the support we'll need to win. Learn more.
TUES May 19, 6:00-7:00PM
Mighty Earth Costco Campaign Kickoff Meeting (Zoom)
Join us as we launch our campaign to clean up the meat industry! Industrial Agriculture is one of the top contributors to greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, water pollution in the US Midwest, and unsustainable deforestation. Industrial farms involved in the production of livestock feed are polluting our waterways and destroying landscapes across the US and South America, and Cargill is one of the worst offenders. Corporations like Costco and their suppliers have the opportunity and responsibility to fix their supply chains, especially when we can't rely on governments to fix these issues. Learn more.
TUES May 26, 5:00PM
WA Fair Trade Coalition Virtual Town Hall on COVID-19, Trade and Resilience
Free trade agreements that prioritize private profits over healthy communities have made Northwest far less resilient in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic’s dual public health and economic crises. Incredibly, corporate lobby groups are doubling-down on calls for new trade deals that could harm us even further. Presenters include: Julia Robinson of Health Alliance International; Jackie Boschok of the Washington State Alliance for Retired Americans; April Sims of the Washington State Labor Council; Sameer Ranade of Front and Centered. Register here.
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