Intersection of Racial Justice with Food and Environmental Justice Locally & Nationally
A Brief History
For one to farm depends on land and equitable land access. The US has a long history of inequitable land access, the stealing of land, and barring land ownership by non-white persons. As Tom Philpot mentions in his article, “ In 1920, nearly a million Black farmers worked on 41.4 million acres of land, making up a seventh of farm owners. Today, only about 49,000 of them remain, making up just 1.4 percent of the nation’s farm owners, and tending a scant 4.7 million acres—a nearly 90 percent loss”. Systemic racism continues to bar Black farmers from land access and ownership.
Until the Oregon Fair Housing Act of 1957, it was not illegal to discriminate based ‘solely because of race, color, religion, or national origin.’ This was intended to prevent property owners or any agents who received public funding to ‘openly’ discriminate against potential buyers/ renters who are Black. Unfortunately, the burden of proof was on the one receiving discrimination and the law did not stop the decline in Black farm ownership as lack of access to financing, loans, and insurance continued to be barriers.
Not only are land and food access racist issues, the United States has a long history of environmental discrimination, where climate crises often dis-proportionally affect communities of color. The OPAL Environmental website says that “low-income and communities of color in the (Portland) metro area continue to feel the prevalence of polluted waterways, toxic hazards (4 Superfund sites, including the Portland Harbor), and other environmental issues (pesticide exposure in rural communities of Clackamas and Washington County, North and Northeast Portland gentrification and subsequent displacement of families to Clark County (WA) and East Multnomah County)”.
In her article, Rachel Jones points out that “People of color have long been excluded from environmental policy and conservation—creating blind spots that perpetuate inequality.” It’s time we work to change that, and address the issues that perpetuate inequity.
Local BIPOC Lead Organizations to Follow and Support
Black Futures Farm, a Black owned farm in Portland, OR
“Black Futures Farm is a community farm, staffed by volunteers and two resident farmers. We sit on 1.15 acres with 17 different fruit trees, vegetables, flowers, medicinal and cooking herbs. Our farm is located on the grounds of the Learning Gardens Lab at 60th and SE Duke in Portland, Oregon”
We are a group of Black identified/ Diasporic and Continental African people working together, growing food and community. Our aim is to implement the best methods of growing food, taking the best of what we can from our ancestral practices while being a part of innovation”
Mudbone Grown, a Black owned farm in Portland, OR
“ MudBone Grown's work helps to develop and implement workplace-based educational experiences to help teens, young adults, and low-income communities develop marketable careers, education skills that help build and sustain community capacity and place them in local jobs.”
Hilltop Urban Gardens, a Black, Queer, Trans owned farm in Tacoma, WA
“Hilltop Urban Gardens (HUG) is a community-based urban agriculture, justice and equity organization farming on the lands of the Puyallup Tribe in Tacoma, WA. Our mission is to develop systems for food sovereignty and to create racial and economic justice.”
Rainshadow Organics, a Black owned farm in Sisters, OR
Scrapberry Farm, a Black owned farm in Portland, OR
How is Grow Portland Practicing Anti-Racism?
Grow Portland believes strongly that we cannot work towards environmental & food justice without actively working towards racial justice and equity.
As a white-led organization, how do we amplify the voices of and make space for the BIPOC members of our community? How do we ensure our work reflects the aspirations and diversity of all of the students and communities we teach? How do we continue to remove barriers to outdoor education for kids of color and also create meaningful professional opportunities and pathways to leadership in our field for BIPOC youth?
Grow Portland is committed to continued reflection and direct action that builds a truly inclusive community and leads to more equitable opportunity in access to enrichment education, food justice, and the environment. Join us in this effort. Hold yourself and others around you to anti-racism.