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Tanya Fields
Founder, Executive Director & Mama Bear
the BLK ProjeK
February 05, 2013

On the heels of our recent email newsletter on diversity, we're bringing Tanya Fields to the table. Her recent experiences - being invited and then later dis-invited to speak at a prominent food conference - led her to triumph over missed opportunities by creating her own. For those interested in furthering the conversation surrounding food justice, find Tanya and hundreds of like-minded food activists at her event Not Just Talk: Food in the South Bronx, on February 16th, 2013. Her efforts are one more stellar example of how actions speak louder than words.

When did you know that you wanted to work in food?

For me it was a combination of excessive underdeveloped land in my community, my increasing weight gain despite an active lifestyle and my daughters food and environmental allergies. I became hyper aware if the impact of food, including transporting it, storing it, and distributing it because I live next to the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, the second largest in the world. And despite the thousands of truck trips a day into my community because of the center, we don't have access to the food.

How did you get your current good food job?
I created my job. Lol. I am a firm believer of creating your opportunities. I have a brief but successful history doing social justice work. I started getting interested in food just as it started to become a national conversation. When I felt like there weren't enough organizations, businesses and associations committed to looking at food, particularly as a viable economic and community development tool, I decided to use my leverage and visibility as an activist to create my organization.

How did your previous work or life experience prepare you for a good food job?
Well, I love to eat and I live to cook. I am a mom of four kids, so I get a lot of experience feeding a small tribe on a modest budget. I was already doing social justice work and understood the challenges of my community because I live there.

What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your Good Food Job dream?
LOL! Up until yesterday I thought about calling it quits (j/k). The major obstacles have been being a low income black woman in mainly academic white spaces. Even when it isn't explicit, I find myself having to justify or explain my existence in spaces. There is a duality. The duality of being a leader, as well as being an impacted person. I have to engage with folks who generally only see me one way. Either I'm a leader, or I am a potential or assumed "recipient". It's murky.

Also, funding is always a challenge but I am learning and getting better. For the first time I've been able to pay myself every week AND have money for programming.

What can you identify as the greatestĀ opportunitiesĀ in food right now?
COOPERATIVES AND SMALL BUSINESSES!

If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?
Organic home cooked meals every night, for me and my community.

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