Dr. Robert S. Harvey stands in front of Martha’s Vineyard signs and behind a table of florals and other decor. He is holding a microphone and smiling as he speaks to a crowd at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival as part of FoodCorps’ Summer Movement Building Series.
Dr. Robert S. Harvey, FoodCorps President and Co-CEO, speaks to a crowd at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival as part of FoodCorps’ Summer Movement Building Series. Photo by So Focused Photography.

As we bid summer farewell, FoodCorps is looking back with pride at our Summer Movement Building Series, a season jam-packed with events rallying support for food justice. 

Throughout the past six months, FoodCorps attended numerous events across the country—such as conferences, receptions, panels, festivals, and others—where we had the opportunity to meet powerful, inspiring leaders who share our commitment to food justice and child well-being. 

What is FoodCorps’ Summer Movement Building Series?

We focused our summer movement building efforts specifically on engaging with Black leaders in their fields—from politics to business to agriculture—in order to reach voices and communities that have been historically excluded from these spaces.

For example: the nation’s more than 600 Black mayors represent a constituency of over 48 million Americans. Legislators in the Congressional Black Caucus represent 25% of the U.S. population. By meeting Black leaders and their supporters where they are, we’re ensuring that the movement for food justice not only reaches, but centers those most impacted by systemic injustice. 

FoodCorps’ Summer Movement Building Series brought us to:

  • The African American Mayors Association Conference in Atlanta, where we hosted a fireside chat with St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones highlighting child well-being as an issue of justice and democracy 
  • Alpha Derby Weekend in Atlanta, where we networked with Black Pan-Hellenic leaders and planted seeds for a food justice movement 
  • The National Urban League Conference in New Orleans, where our President and Co-CEO, Dr. Robert S. Harvey, presented a talk on finding joy and purpose in serving our communities
  • The Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, where we bolstered our community outreach efforts with audiences committed to uplifting Black voices
  • The Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., where we sponsored a collaborative reception with the Black Professionals in Food & Agriculture (BPFA) network and built momentum for our policy work

Over the course of these five events, spanning April to September, FoodCorps led or participated in 19 different engagements, connecting with hundreds of elected officials, civic leaders, philanthropists, and other changemakers committed to our mission.

We heard lots of eagerness and joy around our mission, and built relationships with leaders who are committed to supporting us in growing the movement for food justice. And by reaching out to child well-being champions across generations, industries, and political affiliations, we’re reaching people who know their communities deeply, value working locally, and believe that child well-being affects us all. 

While our Summer Movement Building Series has come to a close, our team of movers and shakers is looking forward to more opportunities to meet justice leaders across the country—plus some well-deserved rest! We’re grateful to all those who engaged with us this summer and can’t wait to share what’s next for our movement-building work. 

To get updates about our movement-building work and other opportunities, sign up for emails at foodcorps.org/signup.