Welcome to Our Food Justice Teach-In Series!

About the Series

"Growing Radical Community for Systems Change" aims to expand political awareness and empower participants to become agents of change. Through interactive sessions led by experts, activists, and community leaders, we will delve into crucial topics related to food equity and sustainability.

Throughout the series, participants will gain a deep understanding of:

• Intersections of Food Systems and Health Equity: Explore the connections between food systems and health equity, including discussions on fat liberation and challenging societal norms around food and body image.

• Strategies to Decolonize the Food System: Learn about strategies to decolonize the food system, recognizing and challenging the historical injustices embedded within it.

• Connecting Food/Gardens to Poverty and Hunger: Understand the relationship between food insecurity, poverty, and hunger, and explore how community gardens and local food initiatives can address these issues.

• Systemic Poverty and its Relation to Food Systems: Delve into the systemic factors contributing to poverty and how they intersect with the food system, fostering a deeper understanding of the root causes of food injustice.

• Ideas for Addressing Food System Issues within Hampshire County: Brainstorm and discuss actionable ideas for addressing food system issues specific to Hampshire County, considering local context and resources.

By the end of the series, participants will be equipped with knowledge, tools, and strategies to advocate for a more equitable and sustainable food system in their communities. Join us as we work towards creating a future where everyone has access to healthy, culturally appropriate, and sustainably produced food.

Food will be provided at all in person sessions.

• Date: Thursday, June 30th 

• Time: 4:30 - 6:30

• Location: Fort River Garden, Amherst, MA 01002

• Overview:  This 2-hour session explores land and food sovereignty on unceded Nipmuc land, drawing connections to global struggles, and engages participants in action plans and practical knowledge to support these crucial issues

• Facilitator(s): JuPong Lin, Community Coordinator

• Date: Monday, June 3

• Time: 3 - 5

• Location: CES, 97 Hawley St, Northampton, MA 01060

• Overview: This 2-hour teach-in will educate participants on the pillars of power in the food system and explore how decolonization tools can transform these pillars to support a liberated food system, through the lens of the Hampshire County Food Policy Council.

• Facilitator(s): 

  • • JuPong Lin, Community Coordinator, HCFPC

    •  T Sogoba, Capacity Building Coordinator, HCFPC

• Date: Monday, June 10

• Time: 5:30 - 7:30

• Location: CES, 97 Hawley St, Northampton, MA 01060

• Overview:  Through interactive activities and discussions using resources from the Historic Northampton website, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the history of race and food justice in Hampshire County's food systems. By the end of the session, participants will reflect on their own relationship to race and racism and how it manifests in our food systems.

• Facilitator(s): 

  • • Clarke Bankert, Fiscal Coordinator, HCFPC

    • Cynthia Espinoza, Senior Manager, Health and Racial Equity, HRiA

    • Kristen Whitmore, Story keeper, HCFPC 

    • JuPong Lin, Community Coordinator, HCFPC

    • Rossana Salazar, Language Access Coordinator, HCFPC

    • T Sogoba, Capacity Building Coordinator, HCFPC

• Date: Week of June 17 

• Time: TBD

• Location: TBD

• Overview: Participants will explore the oppressive tools that are impacting our local food systems and the ways local organizations and workers have come together to address them. 

• Facilitator(s): 

• Date: Thursday, June 20

• Time: 5:30 - 7

• Location: VIRTUAL

• Overview: 

• Facilitator(s): Patrilie Hernandez, Embody Lib

• Date: Wednesday, June 26

• Time: 5:30 - 7:30

• Location: Forbes Library, Northampton, MA 01060

• Overview:  Engage with the Food Policy Council’s new Community Story Archive, which amplifies experiences of low-income, disabled, youth, immigrant, elder, and other Hampshire County residents often excluded from public conversations. Through guided activities and discussion, learn about how centering the experiences and stories of marginalized communities supports the creation of policies and systems that serve all people.

• Facilitator(s): HCFPC Storytelling Circle Partners & Community Storytellers