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["Michael Burns" <michael AT fingerlakespermaculture.org>]

To: nikka53 AT yahoo.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Tanikka Cunningham (888) 415-2667x702 tcunningham [at] 
healthysolutionsgroup.org
Michael Harris (916) 997-2451 blackagriculture [at] yahoo.com

National Black Agriculture Awareness Week
Creating Opportunities for:
Awareness, Education, Outreach, and Volunteerism around Black Agriculture”

NATIONAL (June 6, 2011)  Healthy Solutions, Black Agriculture, Southeastern
African American Organic Network (SAAFON), and community stakeholders will
host advocacy events, programs, and services  nationally to Create
opportunities for: Awareness, Education, Outreach, and Volunteerism around
Black Agriculture for the first ever National Black Agriculture Awareness Week
during the week of July 10- 16, 2011.

National Black Agriculture Awareness Week is about recognizing, educating, and
celebrating the contribution of African Americans, and People of African
Descent, to agriculture in our everyday lives. The National Black Agriculture
Awareness Week encourages everyone to:
-Understand how the decline in Black Agricultural Producers is an issue that
needs immediate attention.
-Educate youth to want to pursue Agriculture as a viable option to build a
foundation for themselves and communities.
-Appreciate the many agriculturally related accomplishments that benefit not
just black agricultural producers, but agriculture as a whole, and impact us
on a daily basis.
-Bring awareness to food and agricultural issues in the African American
community as a whole.

Currently Black agricultural producers, farmers, and ranchers make up 1% ( 1
in 100 farmers) of all agricultural producers, farmers, and ranchers
nationally, and combine for an average of 63 years of age. This time is
critical point and time for black producers, says Tanikka Cunningham, Healthy
Solutions Executive Director, we are at a point and time in our lives, where
if something is not done soon to create more black farmers, sustain our
current black producers, and educate our communities about agriculture, we can
see the extinction of Black Agriculture as we know it.  We believe that with
creation, and implementation of this necessary National Black Agricultural
Awareness Week can help plant the seeds to revitalize black agriculture while
paying respect and celebrating what black agricultural producer, farmers,
ranchers, inventors, scientist, and communities have done for agriculture in
the United States, and beyond.

"This week is not just about Black Farmers, but it is a week to eliminated
artificial barriers and continue to make progress toward implementing a
National Black Agriculture Action Agenda that bring together federal, state
and local; U.S. Agriculture stakeholders, toward expanding job creation,
career development and sustainable communities around Agriculture, says
Michael Harris, publisher of Black  Agriculture.

For More Information:
For more information about how to get involved, plan events, sponsorship, or
supporting this week in anyway more information about the National Black
Agriculture Awareness Week, can be found at www.saveblackfarmers.org.


###
Healthy Solutions is a 501 (c)(3) organization whose mission is to increase
the capacity of communities of color, particularly African Americans, to
achieve self-reliance through distribution, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and
cooperative healthy food enterprises. Our vision is to use this model to
create sustainable, equitable communities that realize both the health and
economic benefits of their community food systems and their community food
security.www.healthysolutionsgroup.org

Black Agriculture is a quarterly publication whose purpose is to educate
industry and community of the needs and importance of Agriculture producers.
www.blackagriculture.com

Southeastern African-American Farmers Organic Network (SAAFON), a project of
the SoGreen Network, is a network of farmers using sustainable growing
methods. The Network is comprised of small and limited resource farmers that
are either certified organic or growing organically. Currently SAAFON farmers
are located in six states and the Virgin Islands: Alabama, Georgia, Florida,
Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and St. Croix Island.
www.saafon.org

-End-

Tanikka Cunningham
Executive Director
Healthy Solutions
Office: 888-415-2667x 702
Fax: 877-349-0272
email: tcunningham AT healthysolutionsgroup.org


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