Tag: Black Belt Justice Center

African Diaspora Coalition UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2017 Side Event

As part of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) convened 10 – 19 July 2017, members of the Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) African Diaspora Earthcare Coalition came together at the International Social Justice Commission UN Office on 12 July for the African Diaspora Earthcare Coalition HLPF Agricultural Land Retention Side Event.  The purpose of the side event was to discuss food sovereignty for marginalized populations in the African Diaspora in conjunction with the HLPF, and under the aegis of the UN International Decade for People of African Descent (IDPAD), 2015 – 2024.

QEW has been a non-governmental organization (NGO) of the United Nations since 1999, holding four UN agency accreditations with the mission of bringing a spirit-led Quaker voice to UN deliberations on the environment.  

by Pamela Boyce Simms

Relocalization of Food Production African American Land Retention

A TIMELINE: Contributing Factors to African American Land Loss. In spite of neglect, hostility and sanctioned racial violence by the federal government and the southern states, by 1910 African Americans had acquired over 15 million acres of farmland and controlled 218,000 black farms. African American farmers now own less than 3 million acres of farmland and comprise less than 1% of US farmers.

by Pamela Boyce Simms