Over the next few months, we’ll be highlighting various RAFI-USA staff members availability for speaking engagements. Come to the Table team members recently participated in a number of virtual events.
On Sunday, April 25, Michelle Osborne and Jarred White virtually led the worship service at West Raleigh Presbyterian Church in honor of Earth Day. Jarred gave the sermon, entitled “Groaning for Growth,” while Michelle read scripture and led the children’s moment. Michelle and Jarred also led the adult Sunday School class, focusing on the contributions of people of color in agriculture. West Raleigh Presbyterian Church is part of the Wake County CSA, a partnership between faith communities in Raleigh and nearby farmers from RAFI-USA’s Farmers of Color Network.
On Monday, April 26, Michelle and Jarred led the Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulation for a group convened by the Salisbury Human Relations Council. The simulation is designed to help people understand the connections between racial equity, hunger, poverty, and wealth. More than 40 people attended this virtual session.
On Wednesday, April 28, Michelle and Eowyn Corral of Dakota Rural Action led a virtual session of their “Language Matters: Tools for Eliminating Xenophobic Language in Grassroots Organizing” for the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group. The workshop is intended for organizers, advocates, and community leaders who run agricultural campaigns in rural settings. It explores how xenophobic language shows up in rural grassroots campaigns and helps participants discover alternative language and narrative strategies focusing in on campaign merits.
On May 15, Michelle and Jarred will be speaking at the first-ever Redeeming Creation Conference, hosted virtually by the Creation Care Committee of the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. Michelle and Jarred will be discussing the connection between environmental justice and racial justice and how churches are getting involved in this work.
Are you interested in having a member of the Come to the Table team speak to your congregation or group? Please contact Michelle Osborne, Senior Program Manager, at [email protected] or 919.704.6920.