These women lost their jobs during the pandemic, along with the majority of Black women working for the organization, with little to no warning. The organization used the funds to increase the salary of one of their white employees and rehire new staff for the same position. However, this is not an isolated incident.
Non-for-profits are complicit in keeping Black communities in poverty. While many organizations claim to help Black communities, there is often little representation of Black community members, organizers and farmers in their executive level staff or board of directors.
Rarely are Black people, particularly those who come from “priority neighbourhoods” ever given the chance to speak and advocate for themselves. They are almost exclusively hired at entry-level positions where they are paid below a living wage and never given the chance to work their way up the organization even when they have the skills and education required.
Food Justice is a concept that was born out of the struggle for Black people to survive and thrive. It has been used as a tool to allow for self determination and freedom, yet it has been appropriated by non-for profit organizations to get more funding while erasing Black people from the discussion.