Recounting stories from the early twentieth century and across generations to the present, the recent book In the Struggle: Scholars and the Fight Against Industrial Agribusiness in California (2021, NYU Press) by Daniel O’Connell and Scott Peters brings together the experiences of eight politically engaged scholars, documenting their opposition to industrial-scale agribusiness in California. As the narrative unfolds, these eight scholars’ previously censored and suppressed research, together with personal accounts of intimidation and subterfuge, is introduced into the public arena for the first time. This event, a part of the Fall 2021 “Food and the Public” series, will begin with these narratives as grounding for a discussion and public discourse on timely agricultural justice and policy issues in New York City and State

Commonly used and designed open spaces are anchor points in the city and a possible response to the consequences of urbanization and climate change, as well as to the presence of social and cultural differences. Urban Open Space + Strategies in between Architecture and Open Space Planning, edited by Dr. Carolin Mees, provides a unique interdisciplinary discourse of scientific texts and opinion papers by international experts depicting the diversity of add-ons from a range of micro- and macro-perspectives, and offering strategies for collaborative, multi-coded urban spaces at the intersection of architecture and open space planning.

Black Food Matters: Racial Justice in the Wake of Food Justice, (2020, University of Minnesota Press), edited by Hanna Garth and Ashanté M. Reese, analyzes how Blackness is contested through food, differing ideas of what makes our sustenance “healthy,” and Black individuals’ own beliefs about what their cuisine should be. This comprehensive look at Black food culture and the various forms of violence that threaten the future of this cuisine centers Blackness in a field that has too often framed Black issues through a white-centric lens, offering new ways to think about access, privilege, equity, and justice.

Join us on Monday October 26th at 4pm for a presentation and discussion with Dr. Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, Assistant Professor of Food Studies at Syracuse University. Dr. Minkoff-Zern will discuss her new book The New American Farmer: Immigration, Race, and the Struggle for Sustainability (2019, MIT Press).

Join Merlin Sheldrake, author of 'Enchanted Life' for an hour of conversation and Q & A about the secret and exuberant lives of fungi. Along with Sustainable Systems faculty member, Oliver Kellhammer and course coordinator Arta Yazdanseta, we will explore the amazing potential of fungal mycelium as both an inspiration and a working material for sustainable, regenerative and resilient design. We'll start out with a short presentation by Merlin, and a brief follow-up by Oliver detailing some of the mycelium work being done at Parsons followed by a panel discussion and then open it up to Q&A from students and faculty during the second half.