HEAL Welcomes 10 Grassroots Food Justice Leaders to Campaign Incubator and Power-Building Political Leadership Program
The 2026 School of Political Leadership cohort advances food, land, and worker justice across California, South Carolina, and Illinois
NATIONAL – The HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance is equipping 10 grassroots leaders with the tools to advance food and land justice campaigns in California, South Carolina, and Illinois through its School of Political Leadership (SoPL). Throughout the program, participants will engage in leadership training, strategy sessions, and mentorship to develop and launch impactful advocacy campaigns. Now in its seventh year, SoPL provides a campaign incubator and movement-building support to leaders working to transform food and farm systems through racial, economic, and environmental justice.
“This year’s cohort of leaders are already tapping into the wisdom of the Black, Indigenous and other organizers of color in their communities that came before them to advance labor rights, food justice and build collective power,” said Marlene Manzo, Political Leadership Manager at the HEAL Food Alliance. “We look forward to expanding upon that knowledge in SoPL by providing a space that caters to honing the political leadership skills our cohort needs and this political moment requires ”
2026 School of Political Leadership Cohort
The 2026 cohort of organizers, farmers, land access advocates, educators, and artists includes:
Reconnecting Foodways (National City, CA)
Campaign Focus: Reconnecting Foodways is mapping the local food system in National City and Southeast San Diego to reconnect highway-divided foodways and communities in the region. While creating a shared resource of community gardens, urban farms and other food spaces, the team will identify local policies that strengthen sustainable agriculture and increase community engagement in the local food system.
SoPL Leaders:
- Claire Groebner, Associate Director, Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center
- Derrick Robinson, Cooperative Extension Advisor, University of California
- Janice Luna Reynoso, Founder and Executive Director, Mundo Gardens
- Zayetzy Carrillo, Outreach Program Manager, Mundo Gardens
Solar Community Farm (Greenville, SC)
Campaign Focus: Solar Community Farm team is tackling affordable housing in Greenville through cooperative farming and land access, combining food and housing justice. The project will include shared land to grow food and house local families and community members impacted by rapid gentrification in Greenville. Local aspiring queer and BIPOC farmers will be invited to cultivate relationships with this land by honoring its Indigenous stewards and providing nutritious options to the surrounding community. Their goal is to create a viable model to expand affordable housing for the working class while increasing opportunities for new farmers in South Carolina.
SoPL Leaders:
- Day Aparicio, Operations Coordinator, Solar Community Farm
- Lucia Zacarias, Visual Artist, Solar Community Farm
- Sun Smith, Farmer, Solar Community Farm
- vane loaiza, Co-op Developer and Storyteller, Solar Community Farm
Workplace Climate Collaborative (Chicago, IL)
Campaign Focus: Workplace Climate Collaborative is building a worker power campaign to improve conditions and labor rights for low wage workers and their families across the cannery, farming, greenhouse, landscaping, nursery, meat, packinghouse, poultry, restaurants, and snow plowing industries in Illinois. By strengthening advocacy, community organizing and worker education efforts, their goal is to create safer work environments, increase wages, and ensure all workers have access to the resources they need to defend their rights and wellbeing.
SoPL Leaders:
- Juana Cordova, Bilingual Outreach and Intake Coordinator, Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project (FLAP)
- Sasha Reyes, Bilingual Advocacy and Intake Specialist, Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project (FLAP)