Refilwe M.’s Post

Dear X, I saw your reply to my post SuPeRmArKeTs don’t SeE CoLoUr….Errr they do and anyone who thinks there is not a colour issue in the food industry is lying to themselves Well my friend it is ALL ABOUT THE SUPERMARKETS (they can play their part by showing allyship) let’s look at the facts shall we and while you are at it remove that privilege →7.1% of Black and ethnic minority founders receive funding. →0.02% of funding goes to Black women →Black community contributes around £70 billion to the British economy. These numbers don't add up, and it's time for change. The facts do not lie, I will continue to do what I do for the community. If it was not about tHe SuPeRmArKetS, why have Tesco got their Black Action Plan? Why for 31 odd days in October do supermarkets wet their pants to support us Black folk during BHM?…. We only get 31 days’ folks Why are brands like Lloyds Banking Group & Virgin Startups “supporting” ethnic minority start-up’s? Need I go on, guess you see the point fella Before you get the urge to comment on my post questioning the ‘Why’ how about you stop and think about ‘why’? That white privilege is showing my G Sincerely, Colin 📌P.S. If you are triggered by the above......its a YOU problem! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 👋I’m Colin, aka (“the food scene’s Kanya King”) a London-based food and drink Content Creator🧙 📚Helping foodie brands promote themselves via storytelling. 💻Connecting foodie brands with their target audiences via social media 🗣 Wanna chat? 📲Connect with me, and we can talk about your projects😁

💪🏾 Black Owned Packaged Food Brands Do you need a pantry refresh that nourishes your taste buds and supports Black entrepreneurs? Look no further than these Black owned packaged food brands. From traditional comfort foods with a twist to globally-inspired delights, these brands offer a delicious adventure for your palate and a conscious choice for your conscience. So, ditch the ordinary and dive into a world where every meal becomes a celebration of culinary diversity and community. https://lnkd.in/eZqQnWjd #packagedfood #businessdevelopment #governmentcontracting #smallbusinesses #businessowners #founders #nonprofits #entrepreneurs #sbe #dbe #mbe #wbe #lbe #mwbe #wosb #edwosb #veteranowned #womanowned #supplierdiversity #minorityowned #wealth #lgbtq #smallbusinessresources #smallbiz #grants #startups #disabledowned #funding

It was about 4 years ago that I first Founded and Directed the critically acclaimed LA-Times Featured #WeStillGottaEat Initiative, a global food justice project interrupting health disparities through culinary nutrition and healing, starting right here in my hometown of Los Angeles. Though there is an estimated 2-3 million Black residents in Los Angeles (8-12% of the population) Black residents account for almost 50% of the hungry or homeless population in Los Angeles. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of Black residents in LA still struggle with hunger and have little to no access to healthy food due to food apartheids throughout LA County in which, due to gentrification, racism in urban design, lack of municipal investment & community development, and lack of green space, land, and groceries stores through intentional design; entire neighborhoods are deemed unworthy of having access to healthy, whole foods. Additionally, mental and emotional health challenges, disabilities, & other health disparities within Black communities (that are informed by structural racism and injustice), create barriers for families and individuals to even prepare healthy meals for themselves/ourselves. These discriminatory practices deeply undermine food sovereignty efforts and strip Black communities, particularly in South LA, of access to fresh, healthy, organic produce and foods which exacerbates health inequities that already exist. Furthermore, in South LA specifically, there are over 1.3 million residents and just 60 grocery stores, many of which have a small or non-existent organic or quality produce section. Additionally, due to centuries of economic injustice and wage theft including forced enslavement, Jim Crow, segregation, and more currently, wage inequality (ie: Black women earn $0.61 to every $1 a white man is paid), many Black communities have low levels of disposable income, as well as limited access to transportation to and from the stores, if there even is one in their/our community. This is why I launched #WeStillGottaEat, a comprehensive, multi-dimensional program which offers FREE high vibration, deeply lovingly made, artisan-style, mostly-organic, chef-quality, farm fresh meals + food items to Black residents (including individuals, families, children, and elders) in LA in order to receive nourishment and healing. Through this work we were able to establish dozens of professional community partnership (including small business and larger corporations) and hundreds of individual community volunteers to galvanize resources for those in need and serve 50,000 families.

  The dialogue on equity and equality persists. Shoutout to Nicola M., PR queen, for amplifying the discussion. 2020, many corporations posted black squares, shouting "We Are With You." Who exactly are they with?   The numbers don't lie: →6%, senior roles are held by ethnic minorities. →0.02%, Black women receive startup funding. →7.1%, Black ethnic minorities secure startup funding.     The racists don’t want Black people to love themselves. They know our melanated skin provides a feeling and a deep sense of knowing we are made of something stronger.   A strength and a pride that no racist can touch or destroy As a marketing, professional and event organiser working with foodie founders, I refuse to remain silent. I speak out against the racism Black individuals get daily. Are you a Black or ethnic minority foodie founder? Do you want to get your product in front of supermarket buyers? Join us at the Spill the Beans Get your 🎟 👉🏿 https://lnkd.in/eUR6zjj9 📌P.S. Check out Marco Pierre White's video teaching ethnic folks how to cook Rice & Peas. Standby for his "punchy jerk rice" hitting the shelves. 🛒….MADTING ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 👋I’m Colin, aka (“the food scene’s Kanya King”) a London-based food and drink Content Creator🧙 📚Helping foodie brands promote themselves via storytelling. 💻Connecting foodie brands with their target audiences via social media 🗣 Wanna chat? 📲Connect with me, and we can talk about your projects😁

https://lnkd.in/exruTEix This type of discriminatory practice has intentionally seen the significant rise in gentrification in the North end of Halifax which was predominantly Black after the discriminatory and Racist removal of the Black Community of Africville in the late 60's. The residents were duped by a bundle of $1 bills that lulled them into the belief they were being fairly compensated for their homes and property. They were self-sufficient, no one was on welfare prior to this Racist maneuvering by the Colonialist's government of the day. Sobey's has played a key role to ensure that after they relocated to the Windsor Street - North Street location, some 1 1/2 kms from their location on Gottingen Street in the mid 80's, they placed a restrictive covenant that precluded any other grocery stores from setting up shop in the Gottingen Street area. Let me indicate that during the late 50's up to the late 70's Gottingen Street was a thriving business district. The covenant placed on this area by Sobey's in the mid 80's has effectively hamstrung the residents of Gottingen Street who predominantly live in government housing. Effectively making access to affordable healthy food out of their reach and financial capabilities. Again, this is what Anti-Black Racism, Systemic Racism, Institutional Discrimination and Cronyism are by design was constructed to do. Keep Black folks eternally at the very bottom of the socioeconomic scale, with the efficacy to see them perennially impoverished! This is made all the more easier by discriminatory hiring practices and access to viable employments inter alia.

“Love and respect to those protesting on campuses nationwide in support of a free Palestine. These brave students and faculty are being targeted by billionaires who fund these universities. Bill Ackman is one of them, and we need to send him a clear message. Ackman has repeatedly used his wealth to intimidate those with less power, including Harvard pro-Palestinian student activists and faculty. 18.1% of Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital portfolio consists of Chipotle stock. We love Chipotle but will not spend our money there as long as this Zionist billionaire is a shareholder. Another 17.6% of Ackman's portfolio consists of RBI stock (Burger King, Popeyes, Tim Hortons, and Firehouse Subs), and 18.6% in Hilton. Over 50% of his firm's assets are in these brands. We cannot contribute to increasing Bill Ackman' wealth and will continue to follow and expose his investments. We are doing our part. We need you to do yours. KNOW YOUR ALTERNATIVES. WWW.DISOCCUPIED.COM ” @disoccupied Source: https://lnkd.in/eYx_7jYB

Tomorrow, May 21, Wendy's shareholders have an opportunity to vote FOR proposal 6, which asks the Company to commission an independent, third party Racial Equity Audit (REA). There are serious concerns about Wendy’s commitment to doing the right thing with regards to racial equity that demonstrate why the REA is urgent and merited — ranging from significant racial disparities in the representation of non-white people among managers and senior leadership, to civil rights lawsuits based on racial discrimination, to failing to take basic precautions to protect the disproportionately non-white farmworkers in its supply chain from COVID-19 and serious workplace abuses, to indications of forced labor and other illegal exploitation of Black and Brown farmworkers in its produce supply chain.

Happy #MotivationMonday! This week, we want to share an important topic: Supporting Black Businesses. Start by consciously choosing to buy from Black-owned businesses, thus helping close the racial wealth gap. Partner with organizations focused on minority business growth, like Zebra Strategies, led by the remarkable Denene Rodney. Encourage large retailers to allocate shelf space to Black-made products, as initiated by the Fifteen Percent Pledge. Your actions matter. Our blog post offers more tips and insights. Let's unite to create lasting change. https://lnkd.in/eEYX7t_B #SupportBlackBusinesses #EconomicEquity #CommunityGrowth #MakeAnImpac

February is Black History Month, an opportunity to celebrate Black communities' integral role in America's history and culture. It is also a time to recognize the disproportionate barriers to that Black individuals face due to discrimination and systemic racism. In our fight for food justice, it is important to acknowledge that the exploitation of Black communities was the foundation of our current food system. Our history of slavery, sharecropping, and redlining are just a few of the racist systems that deprived Black people from having agency around food. Black communities still face the consequences of these systems today. Nearly 23% of Black people in the United States experienced food insecurity in 2022, which is almost 2 ½ times the rate of white people (Feeding America). Additionally, communities that are predominantly Black are more likely to be food deserts, meaning Black residents lack access to the fresh, nutritious foods that support health and wellbeing. In order to break down these barriers and expand food access, we can follow the lead of the Black communities that have been at the heart of the Food Justice movement since it began. The work of Black activists during the Civil Rights Movement produced many of the food assistance programs that still operate today. Beyond food assistance, it's also critical that we work to reconstruct our food system so that all people have sovereignty and agency around food. You can help advance food justice by supporting anti-racist policy, shopping at Black-owned businesses, donating to organizations that empower black communities, and learning more about the ways that systemic racism has shaped our food system. #foodaccess #foodrescue #foodjustice #foodsecurity #healthequity #healthequitynow #healthequityjustice #healthequityforall #foodwaste #denvervolunteers #volunteer #foodpantry #denverfood #denver #giveback #sustainability #BlackHistoryMonth

Learning to listen to each other, and creating environments where people feel safe to be themselves is good for business too. We've been banging this drum for a while. Shola West says it best: "There is a larger issue about creating environments where all voices can be heard without fear of backlash... I don’t know if there was a black person in that Heinz meeting room. But even if there was it wouldn’t mean the responsibility for a campaign’s failure rests solely on their shoulders. It’s possible they spoke up and were ignored or overruled." DEI is not just about having the people in the room. It's respecting diversity of voices and perspectives. #dei #edi #teambuilding #collaboration #diversity #deeplistening