Winter Quarter 2015 Event:

Food Systems Inequality Town Hall

 

Inequality: Town Halls for Educational Innovation, a two year project funded by the Evergreen Fund for Innovation, is designed to bring together a wide range of students, staff, faculty and members of the Olympia community to hold ongoing forums on the unprecedented rise in income and wealth inequality that characterizes U.S. society.  The focus of this quarter’s activity is on inequality in the food system, and is being organized by students and faculty in the academic program Food: Coevolution, Community and Sustainability. Our goals are to build on the success of last quarter’s Town Hall on the topic of student debt, and to facilitate conversations and the identification of solutions to address food system inequality at the campus, community, national and global levels.
Event Series: Food Justice Film Series and Discussion Featuring- Food Chains, A Place at the Table, and Fed Up Student Research Poster Presentation hosted by the Food: Coevolution, Community, and Sustainability Program World Café Discussion
Discussion Questions included: How have you experience or witnessed food inequality in your life? Why does society tolerate food system inequality? As an individual, what power do you have to address food system inequality? Do you use it? As members of the TESC and Olympia communities, what actions can we take to collectively address food inequality on campus and in the community? For more information on the innovative and strategic discussion methodology of the World Café, visit WorldCafé.com

 

Resources:

• Recommended Books and Films
• Research Article References for Student Projects

Impact and Effect:

This event included a wide variety of student-initiated research projects that exposed and explored many inequalities within the current food system. Projects included issues of food access due to transportation, food costs and income disparities; community projects such as gardens and food hubs that stimulate food security and positive community connections; issues of the international and global food injustices including export/import practices and trade agreements.

The World Cafe Discussion was lively and meaningful. There was ample time spent with each prepared question and a rotation among participants that provide unique insights and varied perspectives.

“Prior to attending this event I didn’t understand the depth and breadth of inequalities within our food system. I knew it wasn’t a fair system because we have many hungry people in the world, but now I understand more of the complexities within the layers of the system”. -Evergreen Student Participant

Sponsors:

• Evergreen Fund for Innovation
• Center for Community-Based Learning and Action
• Deans’ Match

Participating Programs:

Faculty:	Programs:
Anne Fischel, Therese Saliba & Ted Whitesell	Cultural Landscapes: Introduction to Sustainability & Justice
Thomas J. Johnson, Lori Blewett & Karen Hogan	Food: Coevolution, Community & Sustainability
Laurie Meeker & Grace Huerta	Diversity & Dissent in Education & Media
Peter Bohmer & Savvina Chowdhury	Political Economy & Social Movements: Race, Class & Gender
Sarah Williams, Bob Leverich & Arlen Speights	Making Meaning Matter: The Ornament of Materiality and Making to Ornament