Appreciation & Community Resources

Written By NC Climate Justice Collective .

The NCCJC team stands with our beloved neighbors from immigrant communities who are being targeted by ICE. We have signed on to a letter of Latine leaders and allies across NC, stating clearly that our community is only safe when everyone who lives here is safe. North Carolina is our shared home and we stand together!

 

Here are some resources and opportunities by trusted partners:

NCCJC is also supporting ongoing Just Recovery work in Jamaica and across the Caribbean. It's been three weeks since Hurricane Melissa made landfall, and at least 80% of residents in the hardest-hit parishes of Jamaica remain without power.

 

As we move into the holiday season, we’re particularly grateful for healthy food and the people who grow and distribute it. During our recent quarterly retreat with our five regional Resiliency Organizing Hubs (ROH) , we got to learn first hand about what it takes to re-create a localized food system that addresses food insecurity, supports youth leadership and employment, and increases community climate resilience across southeastern NC. Our Hub anchor organization for Bladen, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties, Men and Women United for Youth and Families (MWUYF) has been a part of NCCJC since our inception in 2013.

 
 

Reflections from our Resiliency Organizing Hub retreat

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Reflections from our Resiliency Organizing Hub retreat 〰️

 

At the retreat, 20 ROH leaders from across NC were able to experience first hand all the different aspects of MWUYF’s work. We visited Clark’s Produce Farm – a Black-owned, multi-generational farm in Tar Heel, NC that is one of several growers in MWUYF’s network.

 

As Chris Suggs from Kinston Teens reflected, “Walking the land with Mr. Frank Clark, you can feel the history: the pride, the labor, the love that’s gone into keeping this farm in the family for generations. In a time when so many Black families have lost land, seeing a family not only hold onto theirs, but build on it, is powerful. That’s stewardship and that’s legacy.”

 

We also helped to harvest and pack fresh, local produce for Men & Women United’s weekly CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) program. Men & Women United’s team of staff, Youth Ambassadors, and volunteers deliver over 2000 pounds of fresh produce to food pantries, senior centers, daycares, and low-income households every week. Their work has increased the quantity, quality, and sustainability of small-scale agriculture in the area as well as increased access to locally-grown, nutritious food for people across Southeastern NC.

This time “in the field” grounded us for the weighty conversations that followed about how we move forward and in formation (both as specific Hubs and as a Collective) in the face of challenging political conditions.

 

Our food justice works feels more critical now than ever. Many of our neighbors are still reeling from the whiplash of a political fight over SNAP benefits – and preparing for an uncertain future where those benefits may be reduced or cut again. Unlawful ICE raids and detentions threaten all aspects of our food system, from farmworkers to the food service industry.  NCCJC will be expanding our food justice work next year, launching a statewide Climate Victory Garden program and offering a permaculture certification course by and for BIPOC people. We will also be supporting our partners at Transplanting Traditions to host next year’s Rooted in Community national youth food justice conference.  If you’re interested in being part of this work, please reach out to Kristal Suggs at kristal@ncclimatejustice.info.

 

With gratitude,

The NCCJC Team 

 

We know a regional approach to climate justice is essential. The Southeast and the Caribbean are inextricably linked through our shared history marked by colonialism as well as our shared present of intensifying climate-fueled disasters. See upcoming events below for more details about how you can get involved in relief and recovery efforts – including this weekend's Pack for the People eventsin Durham.

 

Resiliency Organizing Hub leaders from the across the state gathered last month for our fall retreat, hosted by Men and Women United for Youth and Families.

 
 
 

(Left) Executive Director, Randolph Keaton, talks about MWYUF's work with fellow ROH leaders; (Center) MWYUF Staff outside one of their grow houses; (Right) Leaders from the Goldsboro and Kinston Hubs pack fresh produce for distribution. 

 

On the first day of our Hubs’ retreat, we invited all ROH leaders to reflect on their work in terms of these three questions:

  • What do you want to harvest?

  • What is still growing and needs tending?

  • What do you want to compost?

We hope these questions can support you too as you begin wrapping up your year. We look forward to continue harvesting, growing, tending, and composting with you!

NC Climate Justice Collective .
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