justice – coexist

Turning Food Justice Into state Policy

by jalmond

On Wednesday, February 3, Wesleyan was honored to welcome Randall Mel, Jr., director of Wellness and Nutrition Services for Middletown Public Schools, to facilitate a workshop about the state legislative process, food justice advocacy, and how students can get involved. Attended by members of food justice organizations from all across the state, as well as Wesleyan students and faculty, the workshop gave attendees concrete and actionable advice to begin influencing policy in Connecticut. The event was the first in a series of Activism & Advocacy Workshops being held this spring.

Mel drew from his personal experience as a food advocate working in the Middletown Public Schools, as well as with End Hunger CT. He began the workshop by going over the schedule and structure of the Legislature, emphasizing that even during small “budget adjuster” legislative sessions, like 2026, student voices can have a powerful impact on maintaining funding for important programs.

A Workshop on Indigenous Food History with Xochitl Garcia

by abisceglia

By Ikimot Siyanbola

Note* The terms Native American and Indigenous are used interchangeably in this blog, but it’s important to know that Indigenous is an umbrella term that not all Native Americans may accept.

On September 22nd, Rooted Solidarity was honored to welcome Xochitl Garcia to Wesleyan to deliver a workshop about Indigenous food history. The workshop primarily focused on how Indigenous food history has been hidden, obscuring the crucial contributions of Native people to our food system. Participants included community members, as well as Wesleyan students, faculty and staff. Attendees learned through doing, as the workshop consisted of playing trivia to test our knowledge.

Planting Seeds and Nourishing Community Food Systems

by abisceglia

By Lily Robbins

This summer, the Bailey College of the Environment sponsored eight interns from Wesleyan University, the New London community, and Middletown High School to be a part of the Planting Seeds Internship Program. These interns were matched with four community organizations who have been working on issues of environmental and food justice in Connecticut. Day to day, they took on tasks alongside others at their sites, learning from each other about farming, community organizing, non-profit program development, and intergenerational action. Whether it was learning how to build a beehive or how to have a one-on-one meeting with a community member, the cohort was eager to develop new skills and make connections with new people.

(Pictured left to right: Christine Caruso, Arianna Riabov Hernandez, Chingun Tsogt-Erdene, Lennon Favreau, Malana Rogers-Bursen, Scott Kucsera, Lily Robbins, Mia-Lillian Powell, Sophia Karson, photo by Reggy St. Fortcolin)

food justice, solidarity in new london and beyond

by lgorman

On Monday, October 7, Wesleyan students, faculty, and members of the broader community broke with their lunch routines to attend “Food Justice & Solidarity in New London, CT, sponsored by a grant from the Robert F. Schumann Foundation to the Schumann Institute of the Bailey College of the Environment. There were about 20 Wesleyan students, staff and faculty, as well as community members in attendance. The hour-long workshop was facilitated by Julie R. Jacome-Garay (Co-Director of Operations and Programming) and Chloë Nuñez (Youth Program Manager) of FRESH New London, with the aim of spreading awareness about the organization’s food justice work. Despite its short duration, the workshop was packed full of informative and engaging content. Following group introductions, we got to know Julie and Chloë, learned in-depth about FRESH’s work, and heard stories from Wesleyan food justice interns who were placed at FRESH this summer.

workshop highlights bipoc farming in ct

by lgorman

On September 26, the Bailey College of the Environment welcomed farmer and educator Liz Guerra to lead a workshop on BIPOC Farming: Farming with an Intersectional Lens. This was the latest installment in the land justice workshop series “Tending the Soil: Towards Land Justice in CT,” cosponsored by Wesleyan University’s Bailey College of the Environment and the People’s Saturday School. The event aimed to educate and spread awareness about the struggles of BIPOC farmers with land access and systemic racism, while bringing together a mix of Wesleyan students and community members from various organizations across the state. Liz runs SEAmarron Farmstead in Danbury, where she cultivates hemp and many types of vegetables with her partner Hector “Freedom” Gerardo. Hailing from Queens, New York, Liz is a full spectrum doula/birth worker, social justice advocate, and farmer. In addition to her work as an activist and independent farmer, Liz is an Adjunct Faculty in sociology at the University of Connecticut – Stamford.

rooted solidarity: a ct food justice gathering

by Laurie Kenney

Rooted Solidarity: A CT Food Justice Gathering, a place for intergenerational knowledge exchange amongst community members engaged in food justice work and people who’d like to learn more! Register here!

Date: April 20th, 2024, 9:30 am – 4 pm
Location: Meriden Public Library (a 5-minute walk from the Meriden Railroad Station)

Hosted by: The Bailey College of the Environment at Wesleyan University, The Conservation Law Foundation, The Foodshed Network, and The CT Food System Alliance

This event is free and open to the public.

¡Te invitamos a Solidaridad enraizada: Un encuentro por la justicia alimentaria de CT, un lugar para el intercambio intergeneracional de conocimientos entre miembros de la comunidad que trabajan en justicia alimentaria y a las personas que quieran aprender más! ¡Regístrate aquí!

Fecha: 20 de abril de 2024, 9:30 am – 4 pm
Lugar: Biblioteca Pública de Meriden (a 5 minutos a pie de la estación de tren de Meriden)

Organizado por: The Bailey College of the Environment at Wesleyan University, The Conservation Law Foundation, The Foodshed Network, y The CT Food System Alliance

Este encuentro es gratuito y está abierto al público.

mobilizing power event focuses on community building for enviro justice

by acmorris

The Robert F. Schumann Institute of the Bailey College of the Environment was honored to host Mobilizing Power: Community Building for Environmental Justice on November 11, 2023, in Daniel Family Commons in Usdan. The event brought together advocates from a variety of nonprofits, government agencies, grassroots campaigns, and academic institutions to exchange ideas for making meaningful, long-term environmental progress. The event was sponsored by The Robert F. Schumann Institute of the Bailey College of the Environment at Wesleyan University, Wesleyan Sustainability Office, Save the Sound, Sunrise Wesleyan, Wesleyan Environmental Solidarity Network (ESN), Sustainable CT, The Rockfall Foundation, and the DEEP.

Organized by Malana Rogers-Bursen, project coordinator for food security, environmental justice, and sustainability for the Robert F. Schumann Institute of the Bailey COE, Mobilizing Power brought together approximately 90 participants, including environmental justice leaders, high school youth organizers, and college students from Wesleyan and other universities, to discuss important issues related to environmental justice in Connecticut. The planning team for the event included community leaders from Sustainable CT, CT DEEP, Save the Sound and the Rockfall Foundation, as well as student leaders Dylan Campos ’24, Michael Minars ’25, Debbra Goh ’24, Hannah Phan ’25, Laine Gorman ’25, and Naysa Abraham ’26, who took clear leadership shaping the event and presenting throughout the day.