On a sunny South Georgia day while riding my bike in my neighborhood and quoting hip-hop lyrics as a boy, I was the target of a racist act. The only thing that I loved more than my blue Huffy BMX bike was hip-hop. Each day, I’d ride my bike and perform a cappella. On the day that I will never forget, a neighbor flung open her screen door, stepped out onto her porch, and called me a “greasy eyed ________”. Since I am Black, unfortunately, you can fill in the rest.
Her words cut into me like a hot serrated knife. I would like to write that I threw my beloved bike to the hot payment and gave that mean lady a piece of my mind but that would be a lie.
Instead, I turned my bike, pedalled home, closed the downstairs bathroom door, and cried. That wound remains raw and unhealed. I heard stories from my parents and grandparents about the racism they faced. That day, I had my own story to guide my journey.
Today, each of us is on our unique journey to understand diversity, equity, and inclusion, and all of us have the opportunity to create different narratives on what that means personally and in our communities.
Wholesome Wave Georgia
Facts & Figures
At Wholesome Wave Georgia, we decided to accelerate our efforts to address food access issues and health disparities using our programs like Georgia Fresh for Less and Georgia Food for Health.
Earlier this summer, we promised to share our thinking with you. Based on our Special Board Committee’s work, weekly meetings, e-mails, and conversations, we sought out, listened–and we’re still listening–to the families, farmers market managers, and community partners we serve.
To the left is a snapshot of who we are and below are the 5 action steps we developed to address social justice reform.
WWG’s 5 Social Justice Action Steps
Informed by this data and our learnings from our community, Wholesome Wave Georgia will focus on the following actions between now and early 2023.
Wholesome Wave Georgia will collaborate and share best practices with other local food movement organizations, leaders, and stakeholders.
We believe that social justice reform will not be successful without the combined efforts of the business community, the public sector, philanthropic partners, and community organizations. This work will take decades, and this work will take each of us listening, acting, and deepening our understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
We all have a role to play in creating the Georgia and America that we want to live in, and Wholesome Wave Georgia is here to help.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us and thank you for your continued support.
Staying Rooted,
Will Sellers,
Executive Director
Wholesome Wave Georgia
