Assessing 2020 and Looking Ahead

Assessing 2020 and Looking Ahead

December 23, 2020 Roots of Change

Remarkably, the pandemic’s forced isolation has had a silver lining! I sense that as a nation we are quieter, less peripatetic, more rooted in our communities. I see more reflectiveness, interest in dialogue and commitment to antiracism work. More folks are shopping for healthy local food, cooking at home, growing gardens and preserving the harvest. The election results offered a welcome trajectory. Millions of Americans ensured a new President, renewing my faith in the ability of Americans to learn from our mistakes, and setting the stage for important change.

I need your help to leverage the moment as ROC works to:

introduce a transformative bill to the Legislature in 2021 to increase production in California of high quality, healthy meat from resilient family farms and ranches and processing plants that are safer for workers
ally with farmworker organizations and farmers to increase farmworker safety and quality of life, with an emphasis on protecting workers from heat and smoke, in a time of rapidly rising temperatures and frequent mega fires
increase state and federal support for the healthy food access for families struggling due to racial oppression and our lopsided economy
change government subsidies to support agricultural practices that are solving climate change, not causing it, with a focus on passing a resilient communities bond measure
provide assistance to communities seeking to become more resilient by helping them to mobilize actions that address root causes and meet challenges resulting from the increasing number of disasters.

Please take a look at this page on ROC’s website that describes the projects we now lead or co-lead. I hope you will be impressed by the diversity of efforts and multiple partners. I am extremely enthusiastic. From our many efforts, I see a profound emergence of young leaders, particularly those of color. Their passion and boldness are needed. I am grateful to be welcomed into circles of these leaders. I see clearly that this is a time for white elders like me to hear, witness and support what is emerging. It is an inspiring moment to be part of the work to create a healthier and more just food and agriculture and a national healing. And with ROC’s track record and network of relations, we have a lot to offer as long as we continue to have resources to act as a generative and effective force.

I need your help to do the things foundations will not fund: policy work in particular. And as you will see from that page that I hope you will review, we are pushing legislators to do good. I am hoping you will help our team to do that critical work by making a donation before the end of the year. Our networks and projects will gain by your investing in the boldness, creativity and synergy we always bring to every initiative we spawn or join. I deeply appreciate your interest in our work and your support.

Happy holiday and I wish for you, good health, many blessings and increased joy in 2021!

Photo credit: Alex Hu, Pixabay