order non hybrid seeds LandRightsNFarming: Fwd: Dr. King Talking Our Government Helping Others, But Not Us

Monday, January 30, 2017

Fwd: Dr. King Talking Our Government Helping Others, But Not Us

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Subject: Dr. King Talking Our Government Helping Others,

see the below video regarding what dr. king said regarding agriculture & our government.

 

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Subject: Fw: Fwd: Dr. King's Remarks on Agriculture

 

I thought you'd be interested in this video of Dr. King. In it, he makes a strong case for understanding the Land Grant Universities, Extension System, USDA assistance programs, etc. as institutions of privilege created to benefit white european immigrants.
I hadn't seen it before, and his words have helped me rethink how I view this piece of our country's history and the historic role these institutions have played (and my own privileged experience growing up in agriculture in the rural midwest).
This is an important piece of our nation's agricultural history that has been glossed over, so I shared the video, along with the following message, with several agricultural networks I belong to this past MLK Day.

Prompt for Discussion:

"Many of us deeply value our college education from Land Grant Universities. We cherish the land we grew up on, and the farms we inherited from family that moved west to homestead. We're fond of the 4-H clubs and FFA chapters we participated in growing up, and we are grateful to the extension agents that have helped our families. We appreciate the government assistance programs that have supported our operations and helped us pay our bills at the end of the year.
We rarely think of these aspects of our family history and our agricultural heritage as coming from a place of privilege. Or that the policies and programs that have meant so much to us, have not been equally accessible to others due to their race, gender, or origin.
How do we recognize and address this disconnect between the experience of white families who farm, and that of black, asian, latino and native american families?
What can we do today to address the persisting disparities that exist (in terms of access, quality and opportunity) in our agricultural education programs, our rural communities, our businesses and the agricultural industry, and in local, state and federal government programs and policies?"

Thank you for all you do every day to promote diversity and equal opportunity at USDA. What you do makes a real difference, and is needed now more than ever!

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