The Board of the Tarrant County Food Policy Council (the Council) stands with our community members both in Tarrant County and in the food movement around the country to say that Black lives matter and that food justice is racial justice. We stand with the weight of our responsibility for the crushing pain and suffering that black communities experience daily.

We cannot address the problems of a flawed food system without addressing the racism that is inherent in our nation’s food system. Injustice in the food system heightens the devastation of diet-related diseases in communities of color. It has instituted food apartheid in neighborhoods across Tarrant County and across the Metroplex. This must change.

We recognize the contribution of the countless lives of Black and Latinx agricultural workers, from those enslaved whose labor built this country’s wealth to those who now provide back-breaking labor in fields to harvest the food we, in our privilege, expect to see in our grocery stores. We recognize the devastating loss of Black farmland and the Black farmers who pioneered their own farmer co-ops and distribution entities of the style we now call food hubs as a means of survival. We recognize the racist structures that caused Black land loss.

While the Council works to address issues of healthy food access, and recognizes inequality in the food system, we as a Council, have not spoken out or taken action for these injustices. We can do better...

VISION: Equitable access to healthy food for individuals living in Tarrant County.

We are a coalition of citizens, organizations, government and business leaders concerned for the health of our community. We work to bring together all parts of the local food system to find solutions to current food issues at the local level.

We take a systems approach to making change in our community. That means we're looking at issues from how and where our food is produced, to where it can be accessed, to what happens to waste and everything in between.

It's a big job and change doesn't come quickly, but we're going to keep working until everyone has access to healthy food.

The Food Policy Council was founded by community leaders in social services, public health, and institutions of higher learning who found that despite ongoing efforts, access to healthy affordable foods was still limited for many Tarrant County citizens.

Leaders aimed to improve collaboration and take a systems approach to addressing food issues in our community. By working together, healthy, affordable, sustainable food can be accessible wherever people live, work, learn, and play.

By working with our organizational members and collaborating with other key community organizations, we've provided resources, convened stakeholders to advise on local ordinances and raised awareness of the need for systemic change to our local food system.

An Open Letter

Food Justice is Racial Justice

Board Members:

DAVE AFTANDILIAN, COMMUNITY GARDENS & URBAN AGRICULTURE WORKING GROUP CO-CHAIR

WHITNEY BERRY, children's health WORKING GROUP CO-CHAIR

HARRISON GIBSON

Robin Hall, CHILDREN'S HEALTH WORKING GROUP CO-CHAIR

Lauren Hickman, community gardens & urban agriculture WORKING GROUP CO-CHAIR

Bry Mabry

Brenda Patton

VALUES:

Locally-Produced Food

Sustainable Practices

Collaboration

Cultural-Appropriateness

Education

Environmental Friendliness Evidence-Based Research

MISSION:

To collaborate with representatives of all aspects of Tarrant County's food system to catalyze creative solutions for ensuring equitable access to sufficient, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods, and to advocate for local food policies that support this goal.