Activist and James Beard Leadership Award winner Karen Washington will speak about food justice and diversity in agriculture during a lecture titled "The Colorization of Our Food System" at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, in Chase Community Center at Vermont Law School. Sponsored by the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS), the lecture is free and open to the public and press. Doors open for a meet-and-greet at 5 p.m.
Washington, cofounder of Rise and Root Farm, is a community organizer and urban agriculture advocate. For several years she served as president of the New York City Community Garden Coalition. In addition to creating community gardens, she advocated for neighbors when conflict arose between the gardens and development. Washington recently became chairwoman of the board of Just Food, which empowers and supports community leaders to advocate for and increase access to healthy, locally grown food, especially in underserved New York City neighborhoods.
"We are honored to welcome Karen Washington to Vermont Law School to discuss food justice and diversity in agriculture, and we hope our Vermont neighbors will join us for an important conversation," said CAFS Director Laurie Ristino. "Ms. Washington understands the difficulties facing young and beginning farmers, and has traveled the country to work with them. She also advocates on behalf of black farmers and is knowledgeable about the United States Department of Agriculture’s past history of discrimination and lack of support for farmers of color."
For more information about the "The Colorization of Our Food System," email Lihlani Skipper at lskipper@vermontlaw.edu or call 802-831-1063.
The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School supports scholars and practitioners in producing practical, robust scholarship for use by the food and agriculture community. CAFS offers an expanding curriculum in food and agriculture for law and policy students, and training and legal tools to help build sustainable local and regional food systems. For more information about the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, visit vermontlaw.edu/cafs or email cafs@vermontlaw.edu.
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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation’s largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Master’s Degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.