With Hip Hop and Pop Ups, Oakland Food Policy Council Celebrates Five Years

Every single one of the 200-odd food policy councils in North America has its own, distinct flavor. Some have been around since 1982 (the oldest is in Knoxville, Tennessee). On November 14, 2014, hip hop from Earth Amplified and DJ Leydis (of “Food Fight” fame) came pounding out of Warehouse 416 and the aroma of delicious food from local pop-ups filled the air. These were the unmistakable sounds, smells, and flavors of the Oakland Food Policy Council‘s fifth anniversary celebration.

“Freedom, We want freedom, Got to get freedom, Food potency, Freedom!”  When they pointed the microphone at the crowd, we all sang back: “Freedom, freedom!” with the deep chorus that is puro Oakland.

I am proud of this town. This is the city where I became a US citizen. This is the food policy council that we nurtured in the Food First office for four years—one of the most diverse in the country. So I celebrated like it was my own birthday!

As I cruised the food tables, I came across local gardener Wanda Stewart offering fried green beans, mixed squash, and spinach with cheese. It was heaven. “It’s really empowering to produce our food, prepare it as we like it, and share it—I love it!” she said. Wanda is able to produce, prepare, and sell her food because in Oakland—thanks to the Oakland Food Policy Council—food is a people’s right.

I am proud of this town. This is the city where I became a US citizen. This is the food policy council that we nurtured in the Food First office for four years… So I celebrated like it was my own birthday!

The 21-seat volunteer Council was created with a $50,000 grant from the City of Oakland to gather the community together to make our food system work for us. That means we all have the right to fresh, healthy, affordable food and to keep the food dollar in our community—where we need it. The Council works to introduce policies to Oakland that promote food justice.

The Council works on the Oakland food system from production to consumption to waste management by carrying out research, fostering collaboration, and engaging in collective advocacy on four policy initiatives: economic security and development; food access; local and sustainable food procurement; and urban agriculture.

Every month, representatives from underserved communities, local business owners, labor activists, professionals, elected officials, and city staff gather to develop food policy. They know what they’re doing. They participate in community workshops, listening sessions, and community research to make sure they are working on what the community needs and wants. Since the start, OFPC has been allied with agencies such as HOPE Collaborative, People’s Grocery, and People United for a Better Life in Oakland (PUEBLO).

Esperanza Pallana has been Council Director since 2011 and, with the Board of Directors, has ensured that the OFPC is balanced across “working communities,” food system sectors, age, gender, and ethnicity, so that the council as a whole has the wisdom and experience to promote creative solutions for an equitable and sustainable Oakland food system. Esperanza points out that, as a Council, “We believe that we need to focus on equity first, as sustainability flows out of equity. We can’t have sustainability without having equity first.”

The “Right to Grow” initiative is a clear example of how an activated public can create the policy solutions that meet our needs. In Oakland food is no longer a commodity—food is a right. – Esperanza Pallana, OFPC Director

Though the Council is advisory and not legislative, it has had some notable wins. It published The Hustle Guide: A Step-by-Step Instruction Booklet: How to Start a Mobile or Cottage Food Business in Oakland. But their big win was when the Oakland City Council unanimously approved OFPC’s ‘Right to Grow’ initiative. Esperanza Pallana is glowing when she says:

This win is a clear example of how an activated public can create the policy solutions that meet our needs. The “Right to Grow” removes the barriers to being able to grow our own food. The real power is that the city has made a clear statement not only on the right to food, but the right to grow it. So in Oakland food is no longer just a commodity—food is a right. This is a shift in the paradigm of third party control over food. Now people can feed themselves.

Navina Khanna, James Beard awardee and OFPC member nailed it at the five year celebration when she led us in a chant that brought everyone to their feet: “It is our duty to fight. It is our duty to win. We must protect one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains!”

Leonor Hurtado is a Food First fellow.