MEET OUR FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Rev. Roosevelt Tarlesson
Zack Ducheneaux & Rev. Roosevelt Tarlesson at USDA Farm Service Agency in Washington, DC
CDFA
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD & AGRICULTURE
The above signed organizations are proud to nominate Rev. Roosevelt Tarlesson to serve on the USDA Agricultural Racial Equity Commission. As organizations that support a fair food and farming system, we know that farmers of color must directly participate and lead in the building of a racially equitable food and farming system for this country.
Rev. Tarlesson is a current member of California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) BIPOC and Underserved Farmer Advisory Committee. He is the founding member of California Farmer Justice Collaborative (CJFC) which was created to build a fair food and farming system, challenge historic racism and oppression, and regrow agriculture with farmers of color at the center and directing its course. CFJC developed, advocated, and helped pass the California AB 1348 Farmer Equity Act of 2017 and to this day plays an important role with the State in supporting its ongoing implementation.
Rev. Tarlesson is a co-founder and Executive Director of National Economic and Social Development Action Committee (NESDAC). He is the founder of U-Farm and Home, LLC. He is a regenerative, organic farmer in California and traditional (no-till, dry/rain-fall) farmer in Liberia. President of Tarlesson Farms and Market, LLC (formerly Tarlesson Farms), California.
Rev. Tarlesson is a devoted agricultural racial equity, farmer justice, human rights and refugee rights advocate. At the invitation of Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC)'s 7th national conference, May 16, 2001, at the Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, N.W., Washington, DC, Rev. Tarlesson presented his California Agricultural Settlement Plan for refugees, to an estimated 200 representatives of local, state and international refugee service providers, voluntary agencies, and officials. Immediately after returning from Washington, D.C. for the ECDC's 7th annual conference, Rev. Tarlesson and the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) and other strategic partners began working together on the creation and implementation of farmer, rancher, Managerial and farmworker training project the Agricultural Settlement Community (ASC) for refugees and African Americans in California, 2001-2004.
On July 19, 2004, in Washington D.C., the U.S. Office of Refugees Resettlement (ORR), Washington, DC, Rev. Roosevelt Tarlesson, was one of the representatives representing 30 organizations/agencies signed on the Rural Initiative for Refugees the national refugee farming initiative in the United States.
In 2007, Rev. Tarlesson used his 50 acres organic farm to launch a farmer, rancher and flexible worker training project, which became the National Economic and Social Development Action Committee (NESDAC).
Rev. Roosevelt Tarlesson (Tarlesson Farms), is one of the first farmers in the United States to participate in the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) 2008, and completed most of the practices.
Rev. Tarlesson is a tirelessly committed advocate for communities of color in their access to the means to farm and the education needed to develop thriving farm businesses. As someone who has been working with BIPOC communities advocating for greater protections for their farms, being already a part of creating a CA state analog to a USDA Equity Committee, we are delighted to suggest Roosevelt as a nominee.
November 12, 2021
Nomination of Roosevelt D. Tarlesson to President Biden’s Agricultural Racial Equity Commission
Patricia Carrillo
Executive Director, Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association (ALBA)
Patricia@albafarmers.org
Nina F. Ichikawa
Executive Director, Berkeley Food Institute
nichikawa@berkeley.edu
Janaki Anagha
Founding Member, California Farmer Justice Collaborative
janaki.anagha@gmail.com
Paul Towers
Executive Director, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)
paul@caff.org
Ciara Segura
Co-Executive Director, Mandela Partners
ciara@mandelapartners.org
Eli Tizcareño
CA Campaigns Director, National Young Farmers Coalition
eli@youngfarmers.org
Margarte Reeves
Senior Scientist, Pesticide Action Network North America
mreeves@panna.org
Brandi Mack
National Director, The Butterfly Movement
bmack@thebutterflymovement.com
Posted by Val Dolcini, State Executive Director, California, on July 15, 2011 at 9:42 AM
Young members of the Chedepo-Grebo tribe celebrate their cultural heritage by re-creating traditional decoration and attire during a recent cultural celebration in Guinda. The tribe is utilizing an FSA Operating Loan to expand its specialty fruit and vegetable growing business focusing on the ethnic market in Northern California.
As we reflect on this important month that celebrates our nation’s 235th anniversary, I thought I’d share a story about how Farm Service Agency (FSA) in California is helping people achieve and celebrate their own version of the American Dream. This morning, I visited with a Liberian immigrant farming 50 acres of fruits and vegetables in the Capay Valley. He has worked with Marianne Morton, county executive director in Yolo, Belle Davis, farm loan manager in San Joaquin, and other USDA staff on various farm loan programs and conservation program issues. Today, he uses an operating loan to further support his farming operations. As he enthusiastically described his dream of building a small poultry facility near his walnut orchard, I was reminded of the role we at FSA play in helping people dream big things and ultimately achieve them.
The dream lives for this man and his family. As we celebrated our nation’s independence with fireworks and parades, they celebrated both their African heritage and their successes here in California with three days of dancing, drumming and food. Only in America!
On behalf of this man, and all of the farmers and ranchers served by our programs, I want to thank you for the significant role you play in helping people reach their dreams every day. Your contributions to agriculture and the work of our agency — under circumstances that are both challenging and ever-changing — are considerable. I look forward to celebrating the American Dreams of other farmers and ranchers around our great nation.
From right to left
Rev. Tarlesson
FSA State Executive Director Val Dolcini
Reverend’s son Taihpan
Rev. Roosevelt Tarlesson moved from Liberia to establish a farm community and non-profit foundation in Capay Valley, California. Shown here (right to left) are Rev. Tarlesson, FSA State Executive Director Val Dolcini and the Reverend’s son Taihpan
Tags: Belle Davis, California, Chedepo-Grebo tribe, FSA, FSA Operating Loan, Marianne Morton
You may view this article on the following links:
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2011/07/15/farming-dreams-and-independence-day
U-Farm and Home, LLC, a California-based producer cooperative owned and managed by people of color is working closely with a non-profit partner, the National Economic and Social Development Action Committee (NESDAC), to provide farmer, rancher, managerial and flexible worker training and related education to socially disadvantaged people who would like to become farmers, ranchers and flexible workers.
