Community Food Systems Mentor Profile: Karen Washington
The Community Food Systems Mentorship Program offers Network members the opportunity to work directly with a food systems expert to support their growth, learn best practices, and connect with seasoned food movement leaders.
Karen Washington – Farmer/Activist, Rise and Root Farm, KarentheFarmer.com
About Karen:
Karen is a farmer and activist. She is Co-owner/Farmer at Rise & Root Farm in Chester New York and the Co-Founder of Black Farmer Fund. A pioneer in the world of urban agriculture; in 2010, Co-Founded Black Urban Growers (BUGS) an organization supporting growers in both urban and rural settings. Karen has received numerous awards most recently the co-recipient of the 2023 James Beard Humanitarian Award and the 2024 Emerson Collective Fellowship. She has also been credited with the term food apartheid instead of food desert, to bring to the forefront the inequities seen in the food system. Mama K as she is known in the community, serves on the boards of the New York Botanical Gardens, Soul Fire Farm, the Mary Mitchell Center, and Green Workers Cooperative.
Areas of Expertise
Seeking to Mentor
Communities of Color, black and brown women. I want to work with women who see themselves as leaders but find themselves stuck, learning how to shift power from those who have power over especially in marginalized communities. I can help those who want to grow in urban spaces but don’t know how especially with limited resources or want to go from urban to rural spaces. Lastly, how to find that voice to speak up and speak out while navigating a food system that lacks diversity and inclusion…Â
Wonderful message within your background/bio; so wonderful to be able to stand next to you in this work, God willing.