HEAL Food Alliance

2021 School of Political Leadership

Team: Land, Liberate, Reparate

Tamara Wright

headshot for Tamara Wright

Cultivate Community Advocate Lead,
Cultivate Charlottesville

My grandmother raised me. She was always in the kitchen and I was also in the kitchen right under her, and that meant something. She took care of us and with so many things going on and people are rushing here and there, the meals were a place to come together. I think watching the food come from the garden and straight to the table means something, and that's done a lot for our community. Being that person that brings it together is the type of leader I am. It just comes naturally to who I am.
Tamara on what SoPL means to her

Meet Tamara

Tami grew up in Charlottesville for most of her life and currently lives at Friendship Court with her four children. She has been involved in food justice for nearly a decade, first on the Advisory Council for the Urban Agriculture Collective of Charlottesville. Tami serves on the UACC Board and provides a crucial voice in the community conversations around food justice. This past year, Tami worked to launch a Community Advocate program for which she leads. It is important to have people from the community represented in conversations that affect our lives on a daily basis. The Community Advocates program brings on a team of community members that are paid to participate in community events, share opinions and insights, and engage in program implementation.

This past summer the Community Advocates worked with the CSG Youth Food Justice Interns to develop a plan for healthy school foods. They then presented the plan to the school board and it was integrated into a five-year plan for transitioning our school foods to be healthier and more appealing to students.