Activists
Frances Perez-Rodriguez
Frances Perez-Rodriguez is a Farm Manager at the La Finca Del Sur Community Farm and is also the Food and Land Education Coordinator at Woke Foods. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City, Perez-Rodriguez is a graduate of Farm School NYC, and now uses her knowledge to farm at La Finca Del Sur Community Farm and assist with programming surrounding urban farming and food sovereignty for Woke Foods.
Check out her features in Remezcla, Fader, PBS, and Time’s American Voices. You can also hear Perez-Rodriguez speak about her urban farming experiences in Nexus Media’s video.
Karen Washington
Community organizer and political activist Karen Washington wears many hats. Washington is a longtime member and former board president of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, and currently sits on the boards of Soul Fire Farm, Why Hunger, and Farm School NYC. Washington’s involvement with urban farming doesn’t stop there, however. She is a co-founder of Black Urban Growers and is currently a co-owner at Rise & Root Farm.
To learn more about Washington’s deep involvement in the urban farming community, check out her interview with Shape, as well as features in Guernica and PBS. You can connect with Washington on her website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Leah Penniman
Activist and farmer Leah Penniman is also the founder of Soul Fire Farm. Additionally, Penniman is the author of Farming While Black. If you’re interested in reading more about Penniman’s book, you can check out our blog post on books about farming and food justice. Leah has over 20 years of experience as a soil steward and food sovereignty activist, having worked at the Food Project, Farm School, Many Hands Organic Farm, Youth Grow and with farmers internationally in Ghana, Haiti, and Mexico.
Learn more about Leah’s work in interviews with Today, Vogue, Food and Wine, and Yes! Magazine. You can also connect with Leah on Instagram and Twitter.
Organizations
Black Church Food Security Network
The Black Church Food Security Network connects historically Black churches across the nation to advance food sovereignty. The network works to create agricultural projects on church-owned land, and also creates asset maps of Black churches and their communities in order to better support and empower historically marginalized areas.
You can learn more about the network here, and if you’d like to support the network, you can donate here.
National Black Food and Justice Alliance
The National Black Food and Justice Alliance is a collection of organizations that cultivate and advance “Black leadership, building Black self-determination, Black institution building and organizing for food sovereignty, land and justice.” They accomplish this by highlighting Black achievements and putting Black narratives at the center of their work.
If you’d like to learn more about the alliance, you can read more here. You can also become a member or donate to the organization.
Black Urban Growers Association
Black Urban Growers builds networks and community support for growers in rural and urban settings. Through education and advocacy, they support Black food and farm leaders.The association highlights issues related to food justice by organizing local events, as well as hosting a national conference to share resources and strengthen the network of Black farmers.
You can support the association by donating here, or by learning more about the organization.
Information in this post is adapted from “Five Black farmers and researchers making the food system more inclusive” and “5 Organizations That Support Black Farmers and Food Justice.”