Progress, Never Perfection: Preliminary Results from Our California Budget Work
July 2, 2021 Roots of ChangeWow, our fingers are crossed for even more good news. There are a huge number of unknowns still related to our sustainable agriculture requests. There is more clarity around healthy food access. Our hope for $100 million annually for grants to community-level projects via a Healthy Equity and Racial Justice Fund got zeroed out for […]
Read MoreOp-Ed: California Health Equity Fund Will Improve Health and Resilience Through Healthy Food Systems
June 23, 2021 Michael R. DimockAccess to healthy food systems impacts every aspect of our lives. When hungry stomachs diminish students’ ability to focus, learn, and retain information, their education suffers. In adults, lack of access to nutritious foods leads to overall poor health and chronic illnesses such as heart disease, hypertension and type 2 diabetes – negatively impacting their […]
Read MoreLet’s Feed LA: emergency food relief reveals the power of collaboration
March 20, 2021 Michael R. DimockAt about the time the pandemic hit in March 2020, ROC had entered a partnership with Wholesome Wave to aid them in bringing a new nutrition incentive technology to under-resourced families in Los Angeles and Sacramento counties. But with a request from the Los Angeles County Emergency Food Security Branch, ROC and Wholesome Wave had […]
Read MoreA Resilient and Equitable Food and Farming System in California
March 17, 2021 Roots of ChangeToday, Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D- Hollister) made an exciting announcement about a bill he just introduced called the Equitable Economic Recovery, Healthy Food Access, Climate Resilient Farms and Worker Protection Bond Act (AB 125). If you missed it live, you can watch the press conference here. Roots of Change is a member of the diverse […]
Read MoreAssessing 2020 and Looking Ahead
December 23, 2020 Roots of ChangeRemarkably, the pandemic’s forced isolation has had a silver lining! I sense that as a nation we are quieter, less peripatetic, more rooted in our communities. I see more reflectiveness, interest in dialogue and commitment to antiracism work. More folks are shopping for healthy local food, cooking at home, growing gardens and preserving the harvest. […]
Read MoreReflections on the Moment
November 25, 2020 Roots of ChangeWith over 250,000 Americans dead, family members unable to gather to celebrate, the economic destruction of the pandemic, and a year of racial and political conflict, giving thanks might feel a bit difficult for some. Nevertheless, I would like to share my list of positive developments from this year. I hope you have one too. […]
Read MoreThe Logjam in Meat Processing is Killing Producers & Meat Plant Workers
October 28, 2020 Roots of ChangeLast month I mentioned the tragic events surround the death of poultry processing workers at a Foster Farms plant in California’s San Joaquin Valley. It is a sad fact that along with hospitals, elder care facilities, prisons and homeless shelters, meat processing plants are the work sites with the greatest COVID-19 infection rates. Closely stationed […]
Read MoreReflections on the Moment
September 3, 2020 Roots of ChangeI believe resilience may prove the key word for this century. The word simply means the ability to recover quickly from difficulties. As most will acknowledge, this century will bring plenty from which to recover. Resilience is the response we need. Fortunately, the word is in the air. I read many articles, hear conversations and […]
Read MoreThe Larta Institute Offers Good News in Hard Times
August 20, 2020 Michael R. DimockThere are fires in all directions of the nine Bay Area counties of northern California and over 370 statewide. All of this in the midst of serious level of Covid-19 infections in our state. This is the scenario I feared as COVID took hold in March and April. The climate crisis exhibits a horrifying growth […]
Read MoreTime Will Tell, But Real Change May be Possible
July 9, 2020 Roots of ChangeReflections on the Moment: The Black Lives Matter movement fills my mind. It is framed by COVID-19 and the rants of a racist President who seems committed to destroying the nation’s cohesion. Ironically, this may cure the dis-ease that has plagued the national soul for centuries. Perhaps delusions are being revealed and rejected in favor […]
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