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X-WR-CALNAME:Rural & Urban Food Sovereignty: Black Communities Taking the L
 ead
X-WR-TIMEZONE:Eastern Time (US & Canada)
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260905T172754Z
UID:tag:localist.com\,2008:EventInstance_50472462800076
DTSTART:20250925T213000Z
DTEND:20250926T000000Z
DESCRIPTION:Rural & Urban Food Sovereignty: Black Communities Taking the Le
 ad will explore how Black farmers\, growers\, and food leaders across both
  rural and urban landscapes are reclaiming control over their food systems
  and shaping the future of equitable agriculture. This panel will highligh
 t the interconnected struggles and triumphs of Black communities working t
 oward food sovereignty—from multi-generational family farms in rural are
 as to community gardens\, urban farms\, and cooperative markets in cities.
 \n \n\nThrough candid dialogue\, panelists will examine the historical and
  ongoing barriers that have impacted Black access to land\, capital\, and 
 markets\, as well as the resilience and innovation that have emerged in re
 sponse. The conversation will center the leadership\, cultural knowledge\,
  and grassroots strategies that are driving systemic change\, with attenti
 on to how rural and urban movements can collaborate to strengthen local ec
 onomies\, preserve cultural foodways\, and address food insecurity.\n \n\n
 Attendees can expect to hear firsthand perspectives on:\n\nThe legacy of B
 lack agricultural expertise and its influence on today’s food sovereignt
 y work.The similarities and differences in challenges faced by rural and u
 rban Black food producers.How community-led initiatives are building power
 \, reclaiming land\, and advancing policy reforms.Strategies for fostering
  cross-regional partnerships to create more just and sustainable food syst
 ems.By bridging rural and urban experiences\, this panel will offer a comp
 rehensive look at how Black communities are leading the charge toward a fu
 ture where food sovereignty is not just an aspiration\, but a lived realit
 y—rooted in self-determination\, equity\, and cultural pride.\n\nSchedul
 e\n\n5:30 - 6 p.m. - Opening Reception & Networking (Light refreshments wi
 ll be provided by DC Central Kitchen) \n\n6 - 7:30 p.m. - Moderated Panel 
 Discussion with Audience Q+A\n\n7:30 - 8 p.m. -  Networking \n\nVirtual Op
 tion Available\n\nLearn More and RSVP Here.\n\n \n\nSeries Host: Dr. Mya O
 . Price\, Assistant Professor\, Global Food Institute\n\nOpening Remarks: 
 Tambra Raye Stevenson\, Founder/CEO\, WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition\, D
 ietetics and Agriculture\n\nPanelists:\n\nDion Dawson\, Chief Dreamer\, Di
 on’s Chicago DreamCicely Garrett\, Co-Executive Director\, National Blac
 k Food and Justice AllianceQiana Mickie\, New York City’s inaugural Exec
 utive Director\, NYC Mayor’s Office of Urban AgricultureAshley C. Smith\
 , Executive Director\, Black Soil KY\n Tambra Raye Stevenson is a 5th-gene
 ration Oklahoman with agricultural roots and a former Future Farmers of Am
 erica member. She is the founder and CEO of WANDA: Women Advancing Nutriti
 on\, Dietetics\, and Agriculture\, educating\, advocating\, and innovation
  from farm to health through the power of women and girls. This Fall WANDA
  launched NOURISH: Maternal Food as Medicine to support doulas and birth w
 orkers and the WANDA Scholars to grow the pipeline of Black college women 
 in agriculture and nutrition. Featured by Forbes\, NPR\, and The Washingto
 n Post\, she was invited to the White House in 2023 to advance a Food Bill
  of Rights. She has served on the DC Food Policy Council\, Tufts Food and 
 Nutrition Innovation Council\, Milken’s Food as Medicine Advisory Board\
 , and USDA’s NAREEE Advisory Board. She previously held roles at HHS\, C
 ommerce\, USDA\, and the DC Mayor’s Office\, where she launched the Dist
 rict’s first Women and Girls Wellness Conference and advanced equity ini
 tiatives.\n\nRecognized as a National Geographic Traveler of the Year for 
 reconnecting to her Fulani roots through food\, Tambra has spoken across N
 igeria\, Ghana\, Ethiopia\, and South Africa\, bringing African food herit
 age into global conversations on health and sustainability. She also serve
 s as the North American Representative to the African Nutrition Society\, 
 strengthening transnational collaboration in nutrition and public health.\
 n\n As a PhD candidate at American University School of Communication\, sh
 e teaches media and researches wasted food communication and Black women
 ’s belonging in online health communities. The Tufts alum is an author\,
  speaker\, and strategist whose initiatives to build healthier\, sustainab
 le and equitable food systems. She graduated from Oklahoma State Universit
 y in Human Nutrition and Spanish where she became a member of Alpha Kappa 
 Alpha Sorority Inc. She is a mom of two teens--Elliott and Ruby-- residing
  in Washington\, DC.\n\nDion Dawson is a food-fighting social entrepreneur
 \, philanthropic leader\, and founder focused on health equity through an 
 innovative and logistical lens. Dion's penchant for challenging the solven
 cy of food insecurity through the stabilization of the supply chain has re
 invigorated the traditional food distribution model and been met with worl
 dwide attention. With data-driven operations\, consistent quality\, and a 
 deep commitment to a resident-informed process that meets residents and re
 cipients where they are\, he prioritizes the end-user experience.\nDion is
  the Chief Dreamer of Dion’s Chicago Dream\, a nonprofit social enterpri
 se combating food insecurity through logistics & last-mile delivery in the
  U.S’s Midwest region. His system provides fresh produce to the door ste
 ps of food insecure recipients and has provided millions of pounds of fres
 h produce annually to the Chicago region food system\, with numerous commu
 nity jobs created and one powerful movement. \n\n \n\nCicely Garrett is th
 e Co-Executive Director for National Black Food and Justice\; a coalition 
 of Black-led organizations working towards cultivating and advancing Black
  leadership\, building self-determination\, institution building and organ
 izing for food sovereignty\, land and justice.. She also is a Creative Str
 ategist and Social Entrepreneur adept at providing thought leadership and 
 consulting on strategy\, design thinking\, racial equity\, environmental j
 ustice\, food sovereignty\, and community wealth building. She was previou
 sly the Deputy Chief Resilience Officer for City of Atlanta's Mayor's Offi
 ce of Resilience and Food Systems Innovation Manager at the Atlanta Commun
 ity Food Bank. Cicely holds a B.S.B.A. degree with a concentration in Fina
 nce and New & Small Business Management from Georgetown University and a M
 aster of Public Policy degree with a concentration in Nonprofit Management
  from The George Washington University.\n \n\nQiana Mickie is New York Cit
 y’s inaugural Executive Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Urban Ag
 riculture. Under Qiana’s leadership\, the office aims to advance urban a
 griculture and equity to actively address climate\, health\, and food disp
 arities in the city’s natural and built environment. By collaborating wi
 th interagency leaders as well as the breadth of urban agriculture stakeho
 lders\, Qiana has developed innovative initiatives to foster healthy\, cul
 turally relevant food production\, increase agriculture education to stude
 nts\, and bolster green space access for all in the city. She released NYC
 's first urban agriculture report in 2023 and launched the NYC Urban Agric
 ulture Data Explorer Hub\, a free\, public interactive mapping tool and da
 shboard in 2025.\n\nQiana is also the Founding Principal of QJM Multiprise
  and the former Executive Director of Just Food. For over 13 years\, Qiana
  has also worked on local\, state\, federal\, and international policy on 
 issues such as food sovereignty\, land stewardship\, and environmental jus
 tice. Qiana has a B.S. in Marketing from Hampton University and received h
 er Food Hub Management certification from the University of Vermont. She c
 urrently serves on the USDA Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Fe
 deral Advisory Committee and the International Council of Urgenci.\n\n \n\
 nAshley C. Smith\, a native of Lexington\, KY\, co-founded Black Soil: Our
  Better Nature\, an agribusiness with a mission of reconnecting Black Kent
 uckians to their heritage and legacy in agriculture in August 2017.\nUnder
  her leadership as COO\, Smith rebranded the company to Black Soil KY to r
 eflect its broader impact in agriculture regionally\, nationally and globa
 lly. Currently\, as Executive Director\, Smith leads the one-of-a-kind Bla
 ck woman-owned agribusiness which specializes in procurement\, sourcing\, 
 grant writing and education for Kentucky Black farmers\, chefs and makers 
 representing less than 1.4%.\nSmith has brought forth barrier breaking inc
 lusivity to Kentucky agriculture and its local food system by centering Bl
 ack farmers and elevating their visibility and perpetuation of Black farmi
 ng and land ownership. An award winning and nationally recognized company\
 , Black Soil KY has invested over $1.5 million into Kentucky’s tiny\, ye
 t mighty Black farming sector since 2017 through strategic partnerships\, 
 product placement and cooperative economics.\nHer industry leadership incl
 udes the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Agribusiness Industry Council\,
  Kentucky Black Farmers Conference founding organizer\, Kentucky Black Far
 mer Fund founding member\, Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Workgroup\, and 
 farming consultant to agriculture coalitions and alliances in Indiana\, Te
 nnessee and Mississippi.\nSmith holds a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology fro
 m the University of Kentucky. She is the proud mother to fraternal twins\,
  Caroline and Trevor\, Jr. \n\n \n\nLearn More and RSVP Here.
LOCATION:Science and Engineering Hall\, Lehman Auditorium / B1220
SUMMARY:Rural & Urban Food Sovereignty: Black Communities Taking the Lead
URL;VALUE=URI:https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/rural-urban-food-sovereignty-b
 lack-communities-taking-the-lead
CATEGORIES:Academic
CATEGORIES:Diversity
CATEGORIES:Lectures & Speakers
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