The Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) is proud to announce that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the members of the newly established Equity Commission and its Subcommittee on Agriculture. Executive Director of the Intertribal Agriculture Council, Kari Jo Lawrence, has been appointed to the agriculture subcommittee. Kari Jo stated, “I am excited and honored to serve on the USDA Equity Commission, Agriculture Subcommittee. I look forward to continuing my conversations with all producers who work in the field across the country and communicating the solutions so we can strengthen our entire food system. I see this role as an opportunity to uplift the voices of producers across the country, and to bring their issues and solutions to this Subcommittee."
As stated in the press release: "The 15-member commission and its Subcommittee on Agriculture will provide recommendations to the Secretary on policies, programs, and actions needed to address equity issues, including racial equity issues, within the Department and its programs, including strengthening accountability and providing recommendations to the Secretary on broader and more systemic equity issues at USDA."
The new commission members are:
Arturo S. Rodriguez, California
Hazell Reed, Arkansas
Toni Stanger-McLaughlin, Washington
Derrick Johnson, Mississippi
Ronald Rainey, Arkansas
Mireya Loza, District of Columbia
Charles Rawls, Virginia
Shorlette Ammons, North Carolina
Poppy Sias-Hernandez, Michigan
Todd Corley, Ohio
Yvonne Lee, California
Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Virginia
Shirley Sherrod, Georgia
Ertharin Cousin, Illinois
Rick Smith, Missouri
The new agriculture subcommittee members are:
Shari Rogge-Fidler, Illinois
Savonala Horne, North Carolina
Alexis Racelis, Texas
Gina Eubanks, Louisiana
Michelle Hughes, Virginia
Kari Jo Lawrence, South Dakota
PJ Haynie III, Virginia
Russell Redding, Pennsylvania
Janssen Hang, Minnesota
Erica Lomeli Corcoran, California
Sarah Vogel, North Dakota
Gary Matteson, New Hampshire
Jennie Stephens, South Carolina