The Central Kootenay Food Policy Council condemns racism, violence and injustice against Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour in our region and around the world. We recognize that our society is dominated by policies and practices which perpetuate these harms and that they are widespread and insidious, from micro-aggressions and overt violence, to disproportionately high levels of poor health, lower educational attainment and job opportunities, and higher levels of food insecurity amongst racialized individuals. Mainstream food systems in North America have been built on racism, from the stealing of land from Indigenous Peoples to the historical and ongoing exploitation of Black and other People of Colour.
As a Food Policy Council, we will work to better incorporate and prioritise a justice lens that recognizes the historical and ongoing harm of systemic racism as it is manifested in our food systems. We will continue to work on our own learning and to transform our organisation – how we come together, who leads and participates, what we do together, and the vision we seek to achieve through our programming and practice. We commit, with humility, to learning about and taking action against racism.