Written and transcribed in 2023 by Daphne Hines in collaboration with Chris Gillespie.


Known to some as Jubilee Day, this June 19th marks the 159th anniversary of the first Juneteenth Celebration in 1865. We celebrate Juneteenth in remembrance of the long-fought battle to emancipation, while also celebrating the culture that inspired and maintained hope in achieving equality and equity for all. In our shared legacy and history, we take this day to appreciate those in our past, present, and future that continue the work of creating more equity, equality, and inclusion throughout our communities. Catch up with former CEFS CORE Fellow, Chris Gillespie, as we learn more about his research, perspective, and his thoughts on Juneteenth as it relates to food systems.

Chris Gillespie was born in Champaign, Illinois and was a 2023 CEFS Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE) Fellow. 

Chris Gillespie, CORE Fellow

As we celebrate Juneteenth, in what ways do you think that the past struggle to legitimize Juneteenth reflects our current reality?

It reflects our current reality because like many initiatives that make moves to vindicate, such as the two year period of freedom before the enslaved people knew they were free – it’s too late. Things come too late. Things are started, and set back and start again, and are set back further. Once they finally come through the pipeline, it’s too late. The act you’re trying to prevent has already been established, or the thing that we wanted to stop is in full swing.

 We can look at the time and say, now’s the time to figure out what is equitability in food systems. Now is the time to figure out how to address redlining and make that place revitalized economically because later – it’s going to be too late.

Historically speaking, just like Juneteenth, people found out far too late. They were free and they were freed far too late. So I think that’s a big, big parallel there is – It’s late. Usually the issue is that things are too late and we still see things happening too late today.

What are some equitable ways we can all celebrate Juneteenth?

We can all celebrate Juneteenth by recognizing that in the same way that air, biology, and time are shared by all of us, so are problems (i.e., pandemics, social inequities, natural disasters).

In my role as a Policy Entrepreneurship Fellow (PEF) with the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), I was presented with a startling realization. As unwritten policies continue to plague disenfranchised people within historically-redlined communities (i.e., food access, gentrification, housing access, etc.), there exists not a single federal program that gives special consideration to historically-redlined communities.

In June 2023, I conducted a policy project in Greater Kansas City called, “Redlined Reimagined.” The goal of this project was to demonstrate a bottom-up and artistic method to policy analysis and dissemination that maximizes the benefits of  inclusive ecosystem building. 

I conducted video street interviews, communicating directly with people from historically-redlined communities within their historically-redlined community.

During this project I was presented with one of the most interesting perspectives on historically-redlined communities—and equity. A person, who appeared to be unhoused, on top of a pile of their belongings, which were covered in a brown tarp—on which they sat—directly in front of a replica of the statue of liberty.

While they declined an invitation for a video interview, we began an off-camera discussion of our origins, beliefs, and exchange knowledge. When asked about how their life would be different without redlining they said “trying to solve one problem presents new problems, the man who decided to steal the land to solve their ‘problem” inherited new problems, then they stole people to solve those problems—and now that man’s problem is our problem.” 

After a brief pause the nearly 70-year-old community member ended with these words, “the land is only at peace when no one disturbs it.”

One way to equitably celebrate Juneteenth is to consider the many elements that make up a solution—and ask “is this solution equitable at every level, or will it ultimately result in the production of more problems?”

What is the significance of Juneteenth as it relates to racial equity in the food system?

Juneteenth demonstrates the role of de jure (written) and de facto (unwritten) policy in maintaining systems of oppression—and in ushering their nullification.

The Emancipation Proclamation was legally enforceable in 1863, yet some regions remained under Confederate control. As a result, the Emancipation Proclamation was not implemented ubiquitously. In fact, enslaved people in the state of Texas would not be “free” until 1965.

While enslaved peoples were declared free on paper in 1863, an onslaught of unwritten policy, designed to maintain their oppression, would begin before over 250,000 enslaved peoples even heard the news of their freedom on June 19th, 1865. Even worse, unwritten policy continues to threaten the freedom of the people and the union.

Yet, Juneteenth as a celebration is a brazen objection to a food system built upon racial inequity. As we (the people) continue to reject, replace, and realign our notions of how we celebrate independence in the U.S., we invite a new era of equitable food systems—through both unwritten and written policy.

What aspects or projects in the food system would you describe as an “essential element” necessary for an equitable food future?

When we talk about food systems and thinking about my research in alternative Agronomic ecosystems. I talk about how black people, specifically in between 1910 and 1990, through both written and unwritten policy that was pushed by the U.S. government and by individuals of power in the U.S. – black farmers lost 90% of their land. In that short time period, black people lost 90% of their land. We can look no further than segregation policies in the New Deal and in the 1940s. We see that those policies also segregated and isolated black communities in certain areas. Some people lost their land, other people lost some of their land, and some who hadn’t have land were also in isolated communities where they had no access to even use it, let alone own land.

So, one aspect I see as part of revitalization of a food system that is equitable is that people are able to produce their own food and know how to. An essential element for an equitable food future is the ability to be able to create an environment where food, subject, of course to physiological constraints, can be produced anywhere.

As someone who works in this space, policy-wise and who does ecosystem work, I do think it’s attainable. I do think it’s possible for people to know how to create food anywhere. I do think we have the capability and the resources to do that. I think an equitable food future will have to be a future where people who grew up in my neighborhood also know how to produce corn; how to identify corn; what a bushel of corn is; and are knowledgeable when they see sorghum to know the difference.

From your perspective – why do you think initiatives like CORE are important? Or, how has it influenced your perspective on Racial Equity?

I think it’s interesting because CEFS is important in itself. In many ways it does create this conflict between traditional agricultural practices that may have been outlined before or during the assumption of the Morill Act when land grants started and how they viewed farming systems very differently than how CEFS is utilizing them with more sustainability. I think that conflict is very important.

CORE in itself exists within CEFS, but creates a very unique and dialectical connection and interface between CEFS and between CORE, and in-between institutions – and I think that’s exactly why CORE is important. 

It creates conversation, it creates conflict, because if you want to see something be ratified, or you want to see something be synthesized – you need elastic dialectic, you need an impact of back and forth, back and forth, contrast, contrast.

And you need both perspectives to come correct, come with what they have individually. You can then see the result as something new and better based on that conflict. So I think CORE is great as a means for dialectical dialectics.

How do you perceive equity (in general) or in the food system? 

When I think of how I perceive equity in food systems, I’m not sure if I perceive equity in the same way I would see equity in the housing market, right? Equity in housing would be like, if you can’t see out your window, we’re going to make sure you can see out your window – whatever that takes. What I will say is when I perceive equity in the food system it’s simply a step towards people understanding their role in what they eat and how they eat. I’m not sure if that’s equity in the same way that we talk about equity in other ways because there’s so many things about equity. And it’s a hard question for me because in one way, equitable food systems means everyone can have access to a food system. I have to look at what is a food system and I’m not trying to get down just to semantics – but truly, our food systems, the foods we’re growing, how we perceive that, how we gather those seeds, how we process that food.

When it comes to equity in the food system it’s so much more nuanced. For example, we could give everybody a place to grow, but where are these seeds from? How are they seeds acquired? Are these seeds owned by someone else? Is bringing a seed back to its original soil equity? If we planted that seed somewhere else, is it less equitable than putting the seed back in it’s original soil? Or, Is that our standard for equity? 

If we were to give everyone a food system. There is still a need for laborers. There’s still a need for people to figure out what they want to eat. And the question to me is how do we connect ourselves? How do we produce food that is relevant to us? How do we have a connection with that food? And I think at the local level, equity in food systems have to be defined in some sense at the local level, at the house level.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CHRIS GILLESPIE

I remember in the earlier part of my college career, I was approached by multiple fraternities about pledging. One reason why I didn’t join was because I saw a lot of people coming in asking, “what could this organization do for me?” I instead wanted to work with an organization that said, “what can I bring to it?” So instead, my hope in this fellowship is that I’m able to give something to it and I see my impact. Make it better, make it brighter, and move it forward.

In addition to completing my P.hD Dissertation in soil biogeochemistry and soil ecology, I am also engaged in my PEF (Policy Entrepreneurial Fellowship) work with the Federation of American Scientists  (FAS) that details my work on the Redlining project. I have an AgBioFEWS Fellowship where I do similar work but I look at genetics and biotechnology and from that, I consider policy as well. Lastly, I also have a consulting business, Gillespie Consulting. Gillespie Consulting does a lot of voting rights advocacy work and policy regulatory advocacy around different types of “rule-making.” I’m currently working with some scientists right now and also I help individuals with marketing their own wages – helping individuals get better wages based on labor power. So my anti-capitalist mission is to be able to help every individual get a better wage by leveraging their labor power – which is one of my biggest missions. Those are the main projects I’m working on – my P.hD, my CORE fellowship, my PEF fellowship, my AgBioFEWS Fellowship, and Gillespie Consulting are my main projects.

As an AgBioFEWS Fellow with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Genetic Engineering and Society (GES) Center at North Carolina State University (NC State) who is completing a traineeship in interdisciplinary work, one thing I want to look at is how science and technology intersect. My research definitely has populations and communities that are impacted by it – whether it be the communities that are actually using the product, the communities that actually source the genes for the product, or even the communities that will purchase the product. I’ve learned that there is always going to be an intersection between society and the science that we do in the lab, in the field, or in the classroom. Additionally, science exists within society, thus, society influences the work that scientists conduct within it. So one thing I’ve learned to do is to integrate social considerations into my research, maybe not even by permission. For example, I am currently funded by multiple organizations, one being NIFA, a federal agency within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In that work, my goals in that project are very much centered around liberal thought. However, one thing I ask is, “Are we being reflexive enough?” Are we thinking about this from the point-of-view where we’re looking at ourselves and holding a mirror at our own values and saying, “is this what everyone values?” So one thing that I’ve been able to do in my research for example is that I work with agroecosystems. I could say, “Hey, this is the best way to manage your soil because it’s the latest science.” But, the questions I might ask are, “What community knowledge is not being explored here? Or, “What community knowledge is being omitted here?” Instead of declaring that these are the best systems, I’m saying these are alternative systems and there is still a need for more research into other systems. My research and community work come together by saying we’re going to reinforce what we already know with community and indigenous knowledge because that knowledge is very valuable as well.

As a graduate student working on my Ph.D, my dissertation work focuses mostly on agroecosystems and alternative ways of being able to farm; specifically to mitigate climate change. In the context of climate change, the conversation is about the emissions of greenhouse gasses. My work directly responds to how people use nitrogen in agricultural systems and how that nitrogen is being maximized, or, IF it’s being maximized. If it’s not being maximized, how do we maximize it? Because what happens a lot of times is that nitrogen is lost to the air in the form of nitrous oxide (N2O). Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that is 255 times more potent than CO2. And unfortunately, agriculture is the biggest anthropogenic source of N2O, meaning that the agriculture sector contributes to N2O levels more than factories, cars, or any other sector/ industry. My work directly responds to that concern and what obligation we have as scientists, agriculturist, and ecosystem ecologists to say, “How can we create management systems that are specific to a certain region?” Or, how can we create systems that use nitrogen more efficiently- especially in South-Eastern North Carolina. Overall, my work responds to the need on a climate level, as well as the obligation of individuals and stewards of the land. 

If you ever watch The Fast and the Furious, every time when they pull that clutch back and you see the fire out of the tailpipe, that’s nitrous oxide (N2O).

The last few months of my life as a policy entrepreneurship fellow with the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) has been looking at “what is community?”, especially in regards to historically-redlined communities. When I think of my community, I have many communities, whether I’m talking about other scientists, other Black people, other policy people, people who like to play Diablo 4 (Which just dropped – get your copy now :laughs:). However, when I think of what support looks like, the one thing that all communities that I’m part of have in common is that they share. We share something. Whether it be collective experience, whether it be collective trauma, whether it be resources. What I could say that bridges across all communities that I’m a part of is that I feel supported when it looks and feels like we are sharing something we value, something we take care of in a collective way, and something we are all benefiting from. Also, we share an idea of what I can do and what you can do.

100 by The Game feat. Drake

Do not be ashamed when you’re nervous—it is a feeling that is often followed by joy. 

I recommend All-American—it is, in my opinion, one of the best CW shows, better yet, best teen dramas in history!

My policy memo, Putting Redlines In The Green: Economic Revitalization Through Innovative Neighborhood Markets. This policy memo suggest that the USDA and EPA could consider working with local partners (e.g; the Center for Environmental Farming Systems [CEFS]’s Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System) to launch meal-kit services that provide community subscribers with INM-sourced ingredients and accompanying recipes.

LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok! I can also be reached at chrislive2@gmail.com.

If you are interested in a particular service or expertise, you can contact me at chris@gillespieconsulting.org. You can learn more by visiting the Gillespie Consulting website.