We stand in support of Black Lives Matter.
It’s taken us a few days to put pen to paper. Living in the discomfort of inadequacy, of not knowing what the “right thing” to say is, of having our biggest worry being “saying the wrong thing” instead of facing the daily fears that our Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) friends and neighbors face, left us tongue tied and silent. We will not remain silent.
As a white founded and led organization, we do not fear so many things that are a daily reality for many black people, brown people, immigrants, refugees, and anyone who does not pass as ‘white’. This is white privilege.
We know that racism is prevalent in our food system. Farm management is among the whitest professions, while farm labor is predominately brown. Access to nutritious farm fresh food is not equitable, and people of color tend to suffer more from diet related diseases and live in high poverty areas that lack healthy food options. Our nation relies on migrant laborers, who have recently been deemed “essential” yet weeks prior were being rejected from our country. We see the racism inherent in our food system.
We invite our community to join us in recognizing the interconnected nature of racism and food access. This will not always be an easy process. You will feel discomfort, just as we feel discomfort in writing this statement. But we cannot continue to worry about being right while our neighbors are fighting to live.
As a staff of six white women we cannot ever fully understand what it is like to be a BIPOC member of our community. But we do understand what it means to be an ally, and to use our platform to affect change. We believe that everyone deserves good food, and that our food connects us. Join us in building a more just and equitable food system.
With humility and in solidarity,
The High Desert Food and Farm Alliance
