The Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE) was created to support institutions, programs, and individuals in their commitment to racial equity in the food system. We believe that sustainable change comes with a clear strategy that acknowledges possible obstacles in the food system and challenges those factors with diverse solutions. We have adopted multiple tools created by community leaders in the fields of food equity, racial equity, climate justice, somatic practice and mutual aid.

CORE believes that it is vital to engage multiple entry points. The 3 Expressions of Racism (DRworks) framework provides a road map to begin understanding how racism is showing up within ourselves, institutions and cultures.

We have adopted the 4 Rs of Social Transformation, written by Jodi Lasseter of the NC Climate Justice Collective, to honor the different ways we can and do our healing and mission-driven practices into the spaces we are a part of.  We believe that policy, community building, storytelling and education, creating new modules and creative new ways of holding ourselves and others accountable are all powerful tools for social transformation.  We believe that all of these strategies are needed to shift violent or racist practices that were developed over the course of hundreds of years. The 4 Rs of Social Transformation can be a tool for hope and can create profound opportunities to celebrate a multitude of ways that we can see positive change in our food system.

Why Race?

Although many communities suffer from food system disparities, like food insecurity, chronic diet-related health conditions and lack of land access, data shows that communities of color suffer disproportionately.  For example, of the 12.3% of American households that were food insecure in 2016, rates of food insecurity were substantially higher for Black- (21%) and Hispanic-headed (16%) households than for White-headed households (9%).*

The effect of food insecurity on communities of color is magnified, making the issue not exclusively about race, but inherently racialized – a set of processes that lead to an outcome in which race is a determining factor. Racial inequity is perpetuated by institutional and structural systems that have long been in place and are normalized to the extent of being nearly invisible.  Learning to unpack systemic racism leads to work which can help examine all forms of marginalization and undo food system inequities for the benefit of all.

Pigford v. Glickman

Pigford v. Glickman, a class action lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), unveiled a historical pattern of racial discrimination in the allocation of farm loans between 1981 and 1996. This is one of many examples of how historical impacts have benefited some, while preventing access to opportunity for many. Racialized policies and practices not only have detrimental impacts for individuals but also for institutions and systems, including our food system.