Land & Labor Acknowledgement

Ekar Farm honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples. We recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. We honor Elders past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land throughout generations. We also recognize that government, academic and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of Indigenous Peoples.

Ekar Farm also recognizes that agriculture in this country was established through chattel slavery and exploitation of migrant workers. We recognize that these racist and oppressive systems generated wealth that was denied to the laborers (primarily enslaved Africans and Black Americans) whose blood, sweat and tears built this nation and that these systems are still codified into law today. We honor all agricultural workers who continue to work in harsh outdoor conditions and seek to build a more equitable food system.

May this acknowledgement demonstrate a commitment to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities and recognize the current and future contributions of Indigenous communities in Denver.

History

We weren’t the first people here. Look at Native-Land.ca and you can see that this was Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute (Nuu-agha-tuvu-pu) land with more than 120 nations represented in the Denver metro area today. The Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851 and 1861) and Cession 426 promised friendship, but resulted in displacing the people and taking their land. Colorado was the site of the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864, which killed 230 native people – mainly children, women, and the elderly. Denver was one of 9 federal relocation sites used by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the 1950s and 1960s to forcefully acculturate Indigenous communities and terminate the treaty obligations which the federal government held with their nations.

We are conscious of and saddened by the history of oppression that resulted in our being on this land today. We honor all the indigenous people to whom this was sacred land. We strive to support the many beings we encounter here and to bring forward our responsibility to treat all living beings with care and justice.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity & Justice Statement

Ekar Farm is a collection of individuals with a passion for food justice, hunger relief, and agricultural education, inspired and informed by Jewish values. We provide organic produce to individuals in the Denver Metro area without reliable access to food, and education to all those interested in sustainable farming practices, with the ultimate goal of food sovereignty. 

Ekar Farm is deeply aware of the significance of oppression in food systems. 

Racism, especially environmental racism, classism, and citizenship status are just some of the factors that limit access to fresh food, equitable working conditions on farms, culturally relevant food and nutrition, education, and experiential learning in the Denver Metro area and beyond. 

We acknowledge that BIPOC and low income communities are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change. 

Ekar Farm also recognizes that Indigenous communities originated many regenerative and sustainable farming techniques that are both under-recognized and critical to meeting the challenges of our struggling food systems, especially in light of climate change and the destruction of fertile lands. 

We understand that Jewish culture and reclaiming Jewish agricultural wisdom is an important pathway to allyship with other marginalized communities and anti-oppressive practices. Ekar Farm is committed to disrupting injustice and oppression in food production and distribution in the following ways:  

  • We are committed to offering food justice and agricultural education to all people regardless of their ability to pay. This commitment is based on the Jewish principle of Peah (pay-a), which is defined as “sharing abundance”.

  • We are committed to ensuring Ekar Farm is a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for all members of our community, especially communities who have been harmed by food injustice and/or historically excluded from land ownership and ancestral farming practices. 

  • We remain a space for all people to explore and connect with Jewish teachings, wisdom, practices through food and farming. 

  • We are committed to utilizing regenerative, organic, and sustainable agricultural practices that promote biodiversity, soil health, water cycle improvement, resilience to climate change, and enhance ecosystem services. This, in turn, creates more environmentally supportive and nutrient dense foods, which we provide to our communities.

  • We recognize we are situated on historically Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute (Nuu-agha-tuvu-pu), and Sioux land.  We support Indigenous communities by providing a space for Indigenous organizations to grow culturally relevant foods, support Indigenous growing techniques, and provide seeds and produce to those communities.

  • We are committed to providing continuous training and education opportunities for our board, staff, and volunteers on diversity, inclusion, equity, justice, anti-oppression, and food justice. Our goal is to have quarterly training and professional development sessions.

  • We are committed to recruiting and developing a more inclusive and representative board of directors whose members represent the communities we serve, our food access partnership organizations, and community leaders. By 2024, we expect to have 5 additional board or committee members from these constituencies.

  • We are committed to consistently providing the general public access to our outdoor spaces, our community, and our homegrown delicious, healthy food as a pathway to wellness, healing, and dignity. 

Ekar Farm operates on the ancestral lands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Ute Nations, who have stewarded these lands for generations. We acknowledge the history of colonization and displacement that removed Indigenous peoples from their homelands, perpetuating injustices that continue to this day. This land is a space of nourishment and connection, and we honor those who cultivated it before us, as well as the resilience of Indigenous communities today.

We also recognize the invaluable contributions of farm workers, who are often the backbone of our food systems but face systemic inequities and exploitation. At Ekar Farm, we are committed to honoring their labor by advocating for dignity, fair treatment, and equitable opportunities in agriculture. By fostering solidarity among all who work the land, we aim to create a space where farm workers are respected, empowered, and valued as essential stewards of the land and community.

We look forward to growing with our community.