California Food & Justice Coalition

:: May 2009 Newsletter ::

IN THIS ISSUE:
:: CFJC News & Events
:: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
:: News and Announcements
:: Member of the Month
:: Fundraising & Grant Opportunities
:: Jobs & Internships
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CFJC News and Events

:: It’s Your City. Is it Your Policy? San Diego June 20th. Join CFJC and San Diego-area experts for a day of information, strategizing, discussion and
training on how to use local-level policy to rebuild food systems that are just and environmentally and economically sound. City Heights Wellness
Center, 10:30-4:30; $20-CFJC members, $40-non-members (scholarships available); lunch will be provided. Co-sponsored by San Diego Food Not
Lawns and the International Rescue Committee. For more info and to register, email: info@cafoodjustice.org

:: 3rd I South Asian Independent Film’s “Green Eye Day”, June 13th, San Francisco. CFJC is pleased to co-present an evening of programs about the
soil that sustains the food that sustains us: a walking tour of urban farms in the Mission District, led by My Farm, a screening of Dirt! The Movie,
followed by a talk and book-signing by author and activist, Raj Patel, about the politics of food distribution. For more information:
www.thirdi.org/~sf/screenings.html
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Asian Pacific American heritage Month

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and in observance, CFJC takes a look at the history of Japanese farmers in California.

Japanese farmers begin immigrating to the US during the second half of the 19th century in response to Japan’s Meiji Revolution. A heritage of
advanced irrigation techniques and fruit and vegetable specialty crop production allowed Japanese farmers to quickly cultivate acres upon acres
of crops. Their rapid success was met with resentment from the established white farmers.

With the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the onset of American involvement in WWII the racial tensions between farmers escalated. On Feb 19, 1942
Franklin Roosevelt authorized the forced re-location, or internment, of Japanese Americans and Japanese Nationals. The largest supporter base for
the relocation effort in California was white farmers. Those on west coast suffered most, with anyone with as little as 1/16 Japanese ancestry forced
into internment.

The internment of Japanese American farmers combined with the booming war economy to create a labor shortage. This era saw the beginning of
northern immigration as workers from Central and South America came to California to fill the labor gap. The last internment camp closed in 1946.
For Japanese farmers, returning to the land they owned or leased before internment proved difficult because most of their land had been sold,
stolen, or leased to other tenants. With the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, the US formally apologized for the injustice of the internment, and some of the
surviving Japanese Americans who had been interned received $20,000 in reparations. Today, Japanese Americans comprise a very small
percentage of California farmers.

For more info, please visit: http://www.momomedia.com/CLPEF/chrono.html and http://www.japantraveler.com/the-importance-of-japanese-

farmers-in-california
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News and Announcements

:: Mandela Foods Cooperative Opens. MFC is a locally-owned and operated full-service grocery store and nutrition education center located in
West Oakland, a community long underserved in grocery retail. Celebrate the grand opening of this new food cooperative. June 6th; 10am – 2pm.
For more info: www.mandelafoods.com

:: Toronto Aims High on Green Roofs Project- Toronto's Planning and Growth Management Committee voted on May 6th to recommend mandatory
green roofs on a wide range of new buildings. Toronto is on the path to becoming the only city in North America with a By-law that both requires
green roofs and establishes the construction standards for them. To learn more about the project and the groups supporting the cause go to
http://www.toronto.ca/health/tfpc_index.htm

:: Rule Change for Workers on Farms. The NYT reports that Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis is suspending regulations adopted by the Bush administration
to govern wages and recruitment of immigrant guest workers for agriculture. Farm worker organizations had criticized the Bush regulations, saying
they lowered wages for immigrant guest workers and undermined protections for American farm workers. Read the whole article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/us/politics/29worker.html

:: Historic Approach to Settling Pigford Lawsuit- The Obama Administration has made a historic announcement in the Pigford Class Action Lawsuit first
filed by Black farmers against the United States Department of Agriculture in 1997. The settlement will provide $1.25 billion dollars in payments to
qualified plaintiffs for past discriminatory treatment. Read more about the Pigford suit here
http://www.federationsoutherncoop.com/pigford/pigfordarchive.htm

:: Will Allen’s Good Food Manifesto for America. Will Allen a farmer and the Founder and CEO of Growing Power, Inc. demands action in his recently
released manifesto. Allen writes “It is time and past time for this nation, this government, to react to the dangers inherent in its flawed farm and food
policies and to reverse course from subsidizing wealth to subsidizing health.” Read more here
http://growingpower.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/manifesto/

:: Food, Inc. screening and panel. Food, Inc., a new documentary that lifts the veil on our food industry, exposing the reality that our food system
that is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of small-scale farmers, the safety
of workers and the environment. Representatives from Community Alliance with Family Farmers, the Edible Schoolyard, and others will particiapte in
a panel at Berkeley’s Elmwood Theater on Sat. Jun 7th, following the 7pm screening. For more info: www.rialtocinemas.com
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Member of the Month

This month, we profile Urban Tilth.

Urban Tilth is an innovative non-profit organization is west Contra Costa County that cultivates community agriculture for the purpose of building a
more sustainable, healthy, and just food system. Through working with schools, community-based organizations, government agencies, businesses,
and individual community members, Urban Tilth, is developing the capacity to locally produce 5% of the food supply.

Urban Tilth’s programs capitalize on the fertile climate of the Bay Area and offer alternative models to trucking food long distances. By sharing
knowledge and resources, Urban Tilth works to empower community members to determine the health of the community and reduce food
insecurity.

Urban Tilth’s foodshed development projects include Lincoln School Farm and after school program, Lincoln Community Garden, Berryland on the
Richmond greenway, and AdamsCrest Urban Farm next to Adams Middle School. Urban Tilth is collaborating with CURME (Communities United
Restoring Mother Earth) to add a Medicine Garden to the Greenway.

Additionally, Urban Tilth has provided technical assistance to more than a dozen other school and community garden projects in the area and co-
sponsors the Richmond High School Urban Agriculture and Food Systems class. Urban Tilth’s close relationship with schools reflects the commitment to
youth and the knowledge that social justice cannot happen without encouraging the leadership of young people.

To support their endeavors Urban Tilth integrates a creative business approach called Farm Your Lawn Service. Community members can support
the work of Urban Tilth by transforming their lawns into perennial foodsheds. Farm Your Lawn Services will install raised veggie beds complete with
seedlings, drip irrigation, and beneficial microorganisms in addition to providing the garden coaching necessary for a productive backyard
foodshed. For questions contact Park Guthrie at (510) 691-5051 or park@urbantilth.org. www.urbantilth.org/site/

If your organization is a CFJC member and would like to be profiled in a future newsletter, send us a message at info@cafoodjustice.org
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Grants and Fundraising Opportunities

:: EQIP Funds Still Available! CA Deadline extended to June 26. California agricultural producers who are certified organic or transitioning to organic
production, may qualify for technical and financial assistance through a new initiative administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS). $3 million in funding will be available to eligible producers in California as part of the agency’s Environmental Quality Incentives
Program (EQIP).For more info:
http://www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/

:: The Akonadi Foundation announces its Strategic Opportunity Support (SOS) Fund. The goal of the SOS Fund is to encourage innovation in racial
justice movement building. The SOS fund will provide one-time grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 (averaging $15,000). SOS Funds are available to
grant partners as well as racial justice organizations not currently funded by the Akonadi Foundation. Please visit: http://www.akonadi.org/
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Jobs and Internships

:: Eat Real Festival Internship Opportunities: Eat Real Festival is seeking interns for the Oakland office. The internships offer an opportunity for entry into
special events planning and implementation, as well as into the sustainable food sector of both the East Bay community and California. This position
is unpaid, but course credit (pass/no pass) may be offered if needed. To apply, send a resume and cover letter to info@eatrealfest.com To learn
more about Eat Real Festival go to www.eatrealfest.com

:: United Students for Fair Trade is hiring a National Coordinator. USFT is a collaboration of students and youth working in solidarity with cooperative
communities to promote fair trade principles, products and policies. Salary: $29,000- $32,000 a year depending upon place of residence, plus full
benefits. USFT is flexible around location of residence. To apply, email a cover letter and resume to hiring@usft.org with your last name in the subject
line no later than June 15th.

:: Garden Position Available at John Muir Elementary School in Berkeley: Apply before June 5. The garden specialist plans, implements and
coordinates all aspects of a nutrition-based garden program and much more. For more information on the position and to apply, visit
www.Edjoin.org and search the listings for Berkeley Unified School District.

:: Full Season Farm Intern in Sonoma County- The Bohemian farmers’ Collective is looking for someone who can commit to 35 hours a week and
share in the joyous work of cultivating, harvesting and distributing food. If you are interested in joining, contact Sue at suedavis306@gmail.com.
Mention 'farm internship' in the subject line. Or, call 415.812.3924

:: The Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College (Center for Food & Justice) is hiring a Program Director: The Urban &
Environmental Policy Institute is seeking a program director to help oversee the day to day operations, fundraising and strategic planning for the
multiple programs of UEPI. To find out more visits http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/jobs.htm Deadline for applications is June 1, 2009

:: NRDC is Hiring a Food and Biomass Fellow: NRDC is looking for a two-year, full-time Food and Biomass Science Fellow. The Fellow will work with a
diverse team of NRDC advocates and scientists to help develop metrics of environmental performance that can be used in efforts to promote
sustainable production systems for food and biofuels feedstock. Applications are requested no later than June 1, 2009. Job would take place in
Washington DC or San Francisco.
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The California Food and Justice Coalition is a statewide membership coalition committed to
the basic human right to healthy food while advancing social, agricultural and environmental justice.
We collaborate with community-based efforts in California working to create a socially just, ecologically
and economically sustainable food supply. We envision a California food system in which all activities,
from farm to table, are equitable, healthful, regenerative, and community-driven.

California Food and Justice Coalition

2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite F, Berkeley, CA 94702
Phone: 510-704-0245
FAX: 510-548-8896
http://www.CAFoodJustice.org <http://www.cafoodjustice.org/>
email: info@CAFoodJustice.org

CFJC is a fiscally-sponsored project of the Ecology Center