Connected Perspectives: 2012 Black Environmental Thought II Conference

If there is one thing I can say about September 2012′s Black Environmental Thought II Conference (BET2) held in Minneapolis on the University of Minnesota’s campus, it is that such a gathering was momentous. It needed to happen, especially at this time in our nation’s history. Urban farms and farmers are sprouting up in cities across the United States. The issue of food security and justice are conversations that are being had, but are they involving our voices in the decision-making process? Black folks decidedly coming together to talk of our environmental heritage, to share our experiences that deal with health, family and homes, and to reconsider our relationship to the land and to each other set the mood. How we move forward from thought towards practice was the common denominator of BET2′s panel sessions and group activities. BET2 attendees were given the option to listen in and engage in conversation and breakout groups during panel sessions which included (but not limited to): Community Table Cooperatives (CTC), presided by Collie Graddick Youth share perspectives as urban agricultural movement apprentices, presided by Sam Grant and Tim Page Land Matters: the significance of Black farmland ownership in the rural South, presided by [...]