For the better part of a decade, people in West Michigan have been excited about and explored the importance of eating local and eating organic.

The idea of eating local in many ways is very mainstream. There are more Farmers Markets now than there were 10 years ago and greater interesting in people growing at least some of their own food.

However, for those of us who embrace the principles of food justice and try to learn from the international movement, eating local is not enough. Not only is eating local not enough, what we see happening over and over again is that the local “food movement” continues to operate within the narrow confines of the market economy, thus limiting the real possibilities of creating food justice that leads to food sovereignty.

The OKT class on Food Justice is designed to critically engage participants in a much deeper conversation about the food system and how we practice food justice. The five week sessions will cover the following topics:

• Understanding the current food system
• Exploring the principles and origin of food justice
• Investigating how Food Justice is linked to other justice movements
• How to practice Food Justice, especially in West MI

The class format is mostly discussion, with lots of information presented that can be accessed online. Participation is not limited to being able to attend all 5 sessions, but attending at least three is important for continuity.

The classes are free and people can just show up or let us know by contacting Our Kitchen Table at OKTable1@gmail.com.