REFS Reflections : Lucy Diekmann
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EmailMeet Lucy Diekmann, an Urban Agriculture and Food Systems Advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension, and a member of Racial Equity in the Food Systems workgroup.
Lucy Diekmann is an Urban Agriculture and Food Systems Advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension. She is a member of the Racial Equity in the Food Systems (REFS) workgroup. Learn more about her background and perspective in this reflective Q&A!
What is a moment in life that shaped your perspective on and approach to food systems?
Growing up, I loved to hear my grandmother tell stories about her childhood on an Iowa farm in the 1920s; she took such pride in the people and the work they did as well as the self-sufficiency and the ability to care for others in the community—through food and employment—that a small farm could offer. Even many years removed from the farm, being from a farming community remained a core part of her identity. My own childhood experience in rural Maine, where food production—on farms, on the water, and in people’s homes—was part of the fabric of local life, instilled respect for food-related livelihoods alongside an awareness of their physical and economic challenges.
As a professional and academic, pivotal moments have come from learning how decisions about food systems have been used to disadvantage and dispossess some groups based on race, culture, nationality, and/or class for the benefit of others.
How do you practice race equity-centered food systems leadership? (this is geared toward your own personal practice)
As someone working in the food system field, I strive to use equity as a lens for how I select and carry out projects. I prioritize using my time and resources to support efforts to transform the food system with and for those who are most negatively impacted by it. In my work with different institutions—including my own—I think it has been important to be explicit about naming equity as a core value. Personally, centering racial equity in my own food system work means staying open, curious, committed to ongoing learning and to making amends and changes when I make mistakes.
What is your personal challenge in race equity-centered work?
One that is on my mind is how to more effectively build bridges to people and organizations working in other sectors—like housing and transportation—that are deeply connected to racial equity in the food system.
What hard question do we need to ask ourselves about food systems leadership and transformation?
Community leadership is central to food justice, food sovereignty, and incorporating culturally relevant foods, practices, and traditions into our work. How we support residents’ food system leadership and ensure meaningful opportunities for participation in decision-making process are areas that need more attention.
How do we bridge “gaps” between and among worldviews through language and action?
I hope that adopting a systems approach is helpful for bringing divergent groups into conversation with one another, so they can see themselves as part of an interconnected whole rather than in opposition to or competition with one another. Identifying shared values or a common purpose can be a starting point for working together despite differences.
What leadership qualities - in yourself or others - have you “happened upon” in your work that were surprising?
I don’t think this is a surprising quality, but I appreciate honesty and forthrightness in leaders. People who will name the issue or the problem and also those who give honest, respectful, but direct feedback, “I don’t think this worked well this time, let’s try this next time.”
I also appreciate deliberation. Sometimes the image of a leader is that of someone who has to rush in and make quick decisions. I respect when people are not afraid to take time to think things through, resisting pressure to rush to make a judgement or a choice.
