Roots of Resistance: Teaching Farm to School through the History of Food Justice
โThe fight for food justice is a fight against hunger, poverty, and systemic oppression.โ โ Karen Washington
As my fellowship began, I was curious and excited to figure out what my role would be as a farm to school educator. In college I had taken different courses on food justice, worked on a farm, and at a food distribution center, but this would be my first time applying those experiences in a classroom setting. Within my first few weeks at The Food Trust, I learned more about the specifics of farm to school, and the many ways it can be implemented. The program builds connections between students and our food system by increasing access to healthy, local foods and through education. Ultimately, farm to school education empowers children and their families to make informed food choices while strengthening and building community.
While itโs important to talk about the root causes of these issues, itโs also important to talk about the histories of resistance to them.
As I continued to learn more, shadow fellow nutrition educators, and attend workshops, I started to think about how I could best contribute to this movement in a way that is meaningful to myself and the students. I realized that in order to do so, I would need to draw inspiration from my own passions and experiences. If you yourself are not committed to what you are teaching, then your students certainly wonโt be. For me, this means focusing on the intersections of food justice with other social and community issues. It means highlighting and honoring the incredible knowledge, history, and contributions of our Black and Brown ancestors who were the original caretakers of this land, and still are. Itโs important for students to understand the โwhyโ behind this work.
I started with a quote from Karen Washington, a longtime political activist, community organizer, and farmer, because it is a source of inspiration for my approach. You cannot address food insecurity if you ignore issues of housing, education, incarceration, redlining, transportation, poverty, systemic and environmental racism, climate change, etc. These issues are all inherently connected and must be talked about in conversation with one another. This nation has relied upon the labor, expertise, and resources of Black and Brown communities to create our food system since its inceptionโfrom indigenous people all across turtle island to enslaved Africans. Our current systems of power are deeply rooted in these histories, and their effects are continuously unfolding.
So how does this manifest in a farm to school educational setting? It has resulted in creating lessons on the history of food justice and why it exists. It was important for me to start at the beginning, which means talking about Indigineous food systems, the agricultural knowledge brought through the transatlantic slave trade, and the events that followed the abolition of slavery. Covering topics like the history of Black farmers, land loss, the great migration, and food apartheid. It has also looked like highlighting important activists and learning about how agriculture and food have been used as a tool for social and economic changeโlike Fannie Lou Hamer and The Freedom Farm Cooperative, and The Black Panther Partyโs free breakfast program. While itโs important to talk about the root causes of these issues, itโs also important to talk about the histories of resistance to them. It is those histories of resistance that are the foundation for our current models of urban/community farming and food justice.
After several months doing this work, I realize that my role as a farm to school educator will evolve as I listen and learn from our students, and as I adapt in response. I believe that this is a constant process, and I know I will continue to grow alongside my work and students, and am excited to see what that looks like.
Michael Varlotta
Michael (he/him) is the Farm to School FAO Schwarz Fellow at The Food Trust in Philadelphia.
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