This Monday October 12th is Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the United States and Thanksgiving in Canada. As we take a moment to gather with loved ones around food and honor the First Nations who’s stolen land we now claim as our own, it’s important to not only recognize the land, but also that many of our food traditions are also rooted in indigenous knowledge and generosity. As part of this acknowledgement, we’ll be tuning into Indigenize!, a free, day-long broadcast supporting indigenous voices at the forefront of the fight for food sovereignty.
Since the start of pandemic quarantine measures, A Growing Culture, an advocacy organization that supports and smallholder farmers through peer-led education and innovation, has been holding weekly talks with farmers and activists to showcase, “local solutions to feeding the world on a changing planet” in a post-COVID food system. With speakers like Vivien Sansour, Yemi Amu (Oko Farms), Leah Penniman (Soulfire Farm) and Rowen White (Sierra Seeds), the Hunger for Justice series has been a source of inspiration and education for us throughout the lockdown.
Tomorrow’s day-long broadcast will bring together First Nations activists and leaders across North America in conversations ranging from seed rematriation, land reclamation, native fish conservation, to the radical (r)evolution of indigenous food systems. The program ends with a film screening a discussion of Warrior Women (2018), a documentary telling the story of Madonna Thunder Hawk and her daughter Marcy and their intergenerational work advocating for Native issues and indigenous cultural values.
Tune in to the broadcast beginning at Noon EST on Twitter, YouTube or Facebook.
