Oppression and exploitation have deep roots in our country, beginning with the genocide of Indigenous people and further with the enslavement of Black people. This legacy, along with centuries of discriminatory policies, has been institutionalized in all aspects of our society and continues to marginalize Black, Indigenous, and people of color, creating significant health disparities, continued exploitation of labor, and barriers to opportunity and ownership. Systemic racism is deeply pervasive and visible across all indicators of success and wellness.

In the food system, healthy food access, food and farm labor, and land and business ownership are all divided along racial lines. Communities of color experience the highest rates of poverty, food insecurity, and diet-related illness. Latinx comprise the majority of farmworkers, receiving extraordinarily low wages, having few labor protections, and working under heavily compromised conditions on a regular basis. And people of color experience significant disparities in farm, business, and land ownership, dramatically limiting opportunities for power and leadership.

We choose to lead with race and focus on achieving racial justice to ensure that the needs and experiences of people of color are prioritized. Race intersects with and amplifies all other forms of oppression; centering race provides us with an opportunity and platform to address other forms of oppression and elevate justice for all. Ultimately, we must transform all aspects of our society to ensure that all people and communities experience liberation.

Our vision for racial justice in the food system embodies the concept of food sovereignty:

Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies.

In our vision, Black, Indigenous, and people of color lead efforts to imagine and plan for their food system. Their stories, traditions, and knowledge are centered and are heard. They reclaim their health, land, and power.

• Everyone has dignified access to opportunities for health and well-being.

• Race no longer determines one’s well-being. Opportunities are designed to meet the needs of all people to achieve optimal wellness.

• Historical injustices are recognized and rectified.

• Black, Indigenous, and people of color are respected and valued. Past experiences of oppression and theft are corrected and race-conscious policies are in place.

• Everyone has dignified access to opportunities for health and well-being.

• Resources and wealth are distributed equitably.

• Power is shared. Change is led by communities. All people have a pathway to positions of leadership, especially people of color.

• Interdependence of people and their environment is realized.

• The world is seen as something that is shared. People coexist with cooperative responsibility for the risks and benefits associated with a fair and just food system.