The importance of second chances, food equity and accountability

The Mississippi Center for Investigative Journalism reported on a 16-minute audio clip of a White police chief bragging about killing people in the mostly Black town of Lexington, Mississippi. He was ultimately fired. WKKF stands with Lexington’s children and families and supports their call for an FBI investigation and the creation of accountability measures by local leaders to protect families.  

On July 16, grantee Slow Food held its eighth international congress, in Italy. The event included the announcement of new leadership that reflects the diversity of the growing global movement. An article in Forbes Mexico focused on Dalí Nolasco Cruz,  former coordinator of Slow Food’s Indigenous peoples network for Latin America and the Caribbean. WKKF worked with her in that capacity and continues to support Slow Food’s work to strengthen the capacity of Indigenous Mexican women and youth to lead food sovereignty initiatives. Nolasco Cruz is now the first Latin American Indigenous woman to serve on the international organization’s executive committee.

On a five-acre farm in the heart of Atlanta, Bobby Wilson not only grows fresh produce like onions, cucumbers and collard greens, but also has made the farm a hub for addressing hunger, health, sustainability and equity. Wilson was recognized as a 2022 CNN Hero and is part of Rural Advancement Foundation International’s Farmers of Color Network, which is supported by WKKF. The network supports farmers of color, recognizing the historic systemic and institutional racism that has blocked their growth and entry into American agriculture.  

WKKF works alongside grantees and partners across Michigan to ensure the equitable distribution of child care stabilization grant dollars. This helps keep early care and education practitioners in business to serve the state’s families and employers. The Kellogg Foundation is also collaborating with grantees and partners in Battle Creek, Detroit and across the state to support the innovative MI Tri-Share to provide more equitable access to early care and education for low- and moderate-income families. Tri-Share is now operating in 59 of the state’s 83 counties and in Detroit. 

Among the support Alwin Jacob Smith received on his release from prison was, perhaps, an unexpected one: cash. As part of a program by the Center for Employment Opportunities, a WKKF grantee, more than 10,000 formerly incarcerated people across 28 states have received cash assistance to support their transition during the pandemic. The story of Smith and the innovative Returning Citizen Stimulus program was recently highlighted by The New York Times.  

Congratulations to graduates of the Mississippi Coding Academy, who were recently honored in a ceremony at East Mississippi Community College Communiversity and celebrated in the news. Nearly 60 people have graduated this year from the statewide program funded by WKKF, which teaches students how to code for website, app and software development and works with local employers to provide internships.