Greetings!

As we write to you today, a powerful burst of growth is taking place in the Movement for Black Lives. Garden to Table is in full solidarity with Black Lives Matter. We believe that anti-racist practice can and should be increased in all areas of our lives—and school gardens are no exception. We see that racism is a public health crisis, that Black people have historically been scrutinized or unwelcome in public outdoor spaces like community gardens, and that food insecurity is higher for Black families. We have a part to play in addressing these pernicious expressions of racism, and our staff is committed to building our skills and knowledge for more anti-racist practices in our organization.

We know that the deep work we have ahead of us goes far beyond making sure our school gardens are safe and inviting spaces for all. Like bindweed that swallows up vegetables in the garden, racism takes years of persistent effort to uproot. We look to those who've studied its patterns and habits of growth. We hope you'll join us in taking in the following resources and sharing the anti-racist practices that you've seeded in your lives.


Yours in this important time of growth,

The Garden To Table Team
Farming While Black is one of our favorite food justice books.

"Some of our most cherished sustainable farming practices have roots in African wisdom. Yet, discrimination and violence against African-American farmers has led to their decline from 14 percent of all growers in 1920 to less than 2 percent today, with a corresponding loss of over 14 million acres of land.  Further, Black communities suffer disproportionately from illnesses related to lack of access to fresh food and healthy natural ecosystems."

- Author Leah Penniman
Learn more / purchase at FarmingWhileBlack.org
Wings by Christopher Myers, read aloud
here by Woke Kindergarten, touches on empowerment, advocacy, and disproportionate scrutiny of Black young people by police officers.
Not My Idea by Anastasia Higginbotham is one of the best resources we've found for supporting white young people to think about racism and news about police killings of Black people. It can be ordered or downloaded as a pdf (before June 19) for free here
Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table
by Jacqueline Briggs Martin is a story about one farmer's work to make sure that everyone everywhere has a right to good food. It is read aloud for kids here.