Racial Equity Statement

We believe access to healthy, affordable, culturally relevant food is a basic human right and communities should control how their food is produced, distributed, and consumed. The knowledge that the food system has been created and maintained by historical and ongoing racial inequities guides the development of our organization’s strategy, decision-making processes, policy development and coalition leadership.

We seek to advance anti-racist policy solutions and engage in root-cause analysis both internally and externally to address the systemic causes of food inequity. We are committed to disrupting inequitable power dynamics to ensure that those most impacted by food inequity are driving policy solutions. 

Racial Equity Guiding Principles

We believe in applying a racial equity lens to our internal and external practices.  We do so by:

• Developing and utilizing a shared language around racial equity, in conjunction with our partners

• Engaging in regular racial equity training, self-reflection and dialogue among board and staff

• Continuously analyzing and updating our practices to reflect on our values and how white supremacy culture impacts our work

• Developing and advocating for policies that intentionally seek to benefit those facing compounded systemic barriers and correct the legacy of racial discrimination within the food system.

• Pursuing diverse partnerships with those who are aligned in their values on racial equity and share our aspirations to combat oppression 

We believe in building the power of community voice. We do so by:

• Elevating and mobilizing the expert voices of community food leaders 

• Actively recruiting, supporting, and organizing with those most impacted by food inequity

• Leveraging our privilege to make the policy process more transparent and inclusive

We believe we are more innovative and responsive when we invest in equity, justice, and inclusivity in our internal operations. We do so by:

• Ensuring our staff and board represent a diversity of perspective and experiences and are empowered as leaders

• Recruiting diverse individuals to shape our organization

Our guiding principles and statement were drafted and adopted by Equity Advocates’ Staff and Board of Directors. We consider this a living document and recognize it requires ongoing reflection and action. We welcome any feedback you have to strengthen the statement or how we put these values into practice.