Protests in recent years have mobilized millions of people across the country and world, and brought attention to issues of great injustice. Despite these mass actions, real systemic change on issues from genocide to immigration, to food and farm worker abuses have remained out of reach. One reason for this lack of change is that when people are mobilized without a coordinated organizing strategy, and without the support of a broad coalition - we are not able to build the power we need to bring about transformative change.

Our guest today, Jose Oliva is the Strategic Campaigns Director for HEAL Food Alliance and has a long history of organizing and coalition building for workers rights and system change. Through HEAL, Jose works in an alliance of 52 groups that represent over 2 million people working in the food and farm sectors. He was the co-founder and former director of the Food Chain Workers Alliance, he led organizing with the Chicago Interfaith Workers’ Center, Casa Guatemala, and The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United among many others. Jose joins us for this timely conversation on the whys and hows of strategic organizing for social change in our food system and beyond.

Jose shares about non-violent direct action organizing, grassroots organizing practices and details about HEAL's current campaigns to expose and limit corporate control of our food system and their city and state level Good Food Purchasing Policy work. If you are interested in applying for HEAL's School of Political Education to build political power to transform our food and farm systems, check out the link above.

The Table Underground airs on WPKN 89.5fm community radio in Bridgeport, CT on the first Tuesday of every month at 6pm - and by podcast or on our website any time! Please "follow" our podcast to support our show and leave a review if you like what you hear!

Our theme song is by The Passion Hifi.

Chef, activist, artist and author Bryant Terry on his 5th book, Vegetable Kingdom - cooking for his kids - uplifting Black and Asian food traditions - and collective actions to transform our "messed up food system". A show from our archives, first aired in 2020.

Thanks to the Yale Sustainable Food Program and the Yale Afro-American Cultural Center for their partnership on this episode. Music credit: "Sprout That Life" by DJ Cavem. Check out our full post at www.thetableunderground.com from 2024 with photos and lots more info. To learn more about Bryant Terry and what he's been up to since 2020, go to: https://www.bryant-terry.com/

The Table Underground airs on WPKN 89.5fm community radio in Bridgeport, CT at 6pm EST, on the first Tuesday of every month, and by podcast or on our website anytime. Our theme song is by The Passion Hifi. Please follow our podcast or leave a review to help others find us. Thanks for listening!

Tim Macklin & Todd Koehnke of CORR: Collective Oyster Recycling and Restoration and Kim Granbery a wild oyster farmer and owner of Leetes Island Oysters share about their work to return oysters to Long Island Sound. This farming and stewardship work helps to rebuild habitat, filter water, prevent erosion, and cultivate biodiversity as well as a love of oysters and our ocean and water ways. Find more info on this episode and many others at www.TheTableUnderground.com.

The Table Underground airs on WPKN 89.5fm community radio in Bridgeport, CT. Please click "follow" to support our show and leave a review if you like what you hear!

Our theme song is by The Passion Hifi. All photos are courtesy of CORR, Leetes Island Oysters, and Tagan Engel.