The Commons Brooklyn

Everyone’s talking about “food justice” these days, but what is it - really? What are all the pieces at play? How do they all connect? In what ways does “food justice” reflect our Jewish social justice values? And what are the best ways to plug in and take action? Whether this conversation is new or familiar to you, we hope you’ll join us for Chewing on Food Justice, a break down of our broken down global food system.
On the heels of Shavuot – also known as the Festival of Reaping and the Day of First Fruits - join us to hear from one of NYC’s most accomplished food justice organizers, a woman who has dedicated her activist life to the pursuit of what she calls “food democracy”. She’ll help us connect the dots between local and global food justice issues and parse out the various elements, from labor to hunger to climate change. Together, we’ll “chew on” some of the bigger picture questions and set the stage for our subsequent programs in the series where we’ll have an opportunity to dig a little deeper.
A light kosher meal will be served (certified by the Tav Ha Yosher)
Nancy Romer is the General Coordinator of the Brooklyn Food Coalition, a grassroots organization working on projects that promote food justice, food security, and a sustainable food system in Brooklyn. Nancy is also an active member of the Park Slope Food Coop and, through her involvement there, became the lead organizer of the Brooklyn Food Conference in May, 2009 – a historic gathering which brought together 3300 adults and 500 children over the course of a single day to unpack the myriad issues related to our food system. Nancy participated in the People’s World Summit on Climate Change and Mother Earth Rights in Bolivia last spring and has a passion for connecting the dots between climate change and food democracy. She is not a foodie but rather a food democracy organizer. She’ll explain what that means if you come and hear her on June 20th!

About the Series
Future programs in the series will include “Chewing on Food Justice: Got Access?” on hunger, food deserts, and food sovereignty (July 2011) and “Chewing on Food Justice: Fruits of Our Labor” on workers in the food chain (August 2011). We will also be partnering with the Brooklyn Bridge CSA to host a volunteer day in collaboration with the South Bronx CSA on July 31. Stay tuned for more information, coming soon!
This series is hosted by Pursue: Action for a Just World and co-sponsored by Hazon, Uri L’Tzedek, and the Brooklyn Bridge CSA.