Wednesday, June 12th 2024
(130 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY 12208) & Virtual
Karen Washington
Rise and Root Farm
Since 1985, I have worked to make New York City a better place to live and grow. As a farmer and food justice activist, I feed people body, mind, and spirit.
As a longtime member and former board president of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, I have fought for justice and fostered resilience in my borough and beyond through the power of organized community. And I bring my fierce, compassionate leadership—as well as my commitment to develop others—everywhere I go.
As a community gardener and board member of the New York Botanical Gardens, I worked with Bronx neighborhoods to turn empty lots into community gardens. As an advocate and former president of the New York City Community Garden Coalition, I stood up and spoke out for garden protection and preservation. And as a co-founder of the La Familia Verde Garden Coalition, I helped launch a City Farms Market, bringing fresh vegetables to the Bronx community.
In 2010, I co-founded Black Urban Growers (BUGS), an organization supporting Black growers in both urban and rural settings. I am a former board member of Why Hunger, a grassroots support organization, and Farm School NYC, which leads workshops on growing food and food justice across the country. I am also board president of Greenworker Cooperatives, which builds and sustains worker-owned green businesses to create a strong, local, and democratic economy rooted in racial and gender equity. Additionally, I am on the Board of Directors of Soul Fire Farm, the Black Farmer Fund, and the Mary Mitchell Family & Youth Center.
Since retiring from physical therapy in 2014, I have been a co-owner and organic grower at Rise & Root Farm in Chester, New York. I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors and sow seeds of love, healing, and liberation for future generations.
Speaking In:
QT*BIPOC-led Food Supply Chains: Disrupting Racism in NYS Food Systems
In recent years, it has become clear that systematic racism has a negative impact on New York’s agriculture and food systems. In New York, nearly 97.7% of producers reporting full ownership of farm operations identify as white. As a result, of New York’s 57,865 farmers, only 1.2% are Queer and Trans and Black, Indigenous and other farmers of color (QT*BIPOC). White farmers are also the only demographic group with an average size, net cash farm income, and farm-related income higher than the state average of $42,875, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Additionally, diet-related diseases are the leading cause of death in Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color in NY in the last two decades. Thus, a disconnect between culturally appropriate food produced by the farmers with the ancestral knowledge of those crops and its accessibility, both physically and economically, has decreased food and nutrition security, rural economic development, and environmental sustainability. In this panel, we will learn more about the collaborative approaches and partnerships developed by emergents QT*BIPOC-led food supply chains grounded in solidarity economy and food sovereignty.
3:00 p.m.
Froman 101
Wednesday, June 12th 2024
(130 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY 12208) & Virtual