Thursday, November 14
9:00 AM | Arrivals & Check-in
Please plan to arrive at 9:00 AM ET to the Mama Imani Humphrey Banquet Hall for coffee and morning snacks. We will be welcomed into the Detroit Food Commons with a traditional African libation ceremony led by Elder Mama Hanifa Adjuman and local drummers to honor the ancestors and invite positive energy into our gathering. This sacred ritual will help us connect and prepare ourselves for a day of community building, reflection, and actionable strategies. Please arrive on time.
9:30 – 9:40 AM | Welcome
View Speaker
Clare Fox, SAFSF Executive Director
9:40 – 10:50 AM | Opening Panel—Closing Racial Wealth Gaps Through the Good Food Economy
The opening panel will feature a courageous conversation exploring transformative approaches to closing the racial wealth gap through community-led initiatives. Speakers will delve into the significance of cooperative models, the importance of centering community-led solutions, and the complexities of engaging non-community stakeholders.
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Cicely Garret, National Black Food and Justice Alliance (Moderator)
Dr. shakara tyler, Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network
Myrtle Thompson, Feedom Freedom Growers
Renee Wallace, Food Plus Detroit
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Tour of Detroit Food Commons
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Gi’Anna Cheairs, Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network
12:00 – 1:15 PM | Lunch
1:15 – 2:45 PM | Concurrent Small Group Discussions
Event attendees will join one of three concurrent small group discussions hosted by food systems leaders in Detroit and beyond. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from community, share experiences, and ask questions in a collaborative environment, fostering rich dialogue and pathways for action. Attendees will select the discussion they wish to join at check-in on Thursday, November 14.
Breakout Group 1: Access, Ownership, and Entrepreneurs: Using Integrated Capital Approaches to Support BIPOC Businesses in Building Inclusive Economies
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Discussion Topics
- How funders and community based organizations are deploying and utilizing integrated capital
- How funders are addressing chasms between institutional grantmaking, investing, and endowment strategies
- How funders and investors can center community
Hosts
- Lolita Nunn, Potlikker Capital
- Olivia Watkins, Black Farmer Fund
- Mariela Cendeño, Manzanita Capital Collective / Equitable Food Oriented Development (EFOD)
Breakout Group 2: Built Environment Infrastructure and Ownership Models That Promote Sovereignty and Self-Determination
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Discussion Topics
- Building a shared understanding of food security, food justice, and food sovereignty
- Key milestones in the movement for Black food sovereignty
- Decolonizing built environment infrastructure and ownership models to support community self-determination
- Following the guidance of community leaders as subject matter experts of their community
- The connection between food sovereignty and environmental justice
Hosts
- Ali Anderson, Feed Black Futures
- Ashley Atkinson, Keep Growing Detroit
- jøn Kent, Sanctuary Farms
Breakout Group 3: Policy and Advocacy Support for Food Justice: Funding Effective Strategies to Advocate for Community Self-Determination
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Discussion Topics
- How policy changes at federal, state, and local levels can shift power to communities
- How the Detroit Food Policy Council and the City of Detroit are advocating for food justice
- Barriers to policy change and the role funders can play in overcoming them
- How funders are currently supporting policy advocacy and grassroots mobilization, and how these efforts can be strengthened
- Intersectional policy issues such as transportation, housing, and health equity in the context of food sovereignty
Hosts
- Patrice Brown, City of Detroit
- Winona Bynum, Detroit Food Policy Council
3:00 – 4:00 PM | Closing Panel—Building the Case: The Realities of Funding Systems Change
This session will explore the vital need to transition to non-extractive funding practices and shift power to frontline communities. Funder panelists will discuss how they are in relationship with community and movement leaders, working to overcome institutional hurdles and funding contradictions, and what opportunities they see to spur systems change.
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Richard Elm-Hill, First Nations Development Institute (Moderator)
Monica Valdes Lupi, The Kresge Foundation
Kate Levin Markel, McGregor Fund
Haven Leeming, Builders Initiative
4:00 – 5:00 PM | Reception
To conclude our time together, we will celebrate the day with a reception featuring beverages by Paradise Beverage, light bites, and live local music by the incredible Aisha Ellis Quartet. You won’t want to miss!