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Senator Cory Booker Only The Second Black Person In History Appointed to U.S. Agriculture Committee

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February 5, 2021

He’s only the second Black person to serve on the committee!

Senator Cory Booker was just appointed to the U.S. Agriculture Committee, Insider NJ reports.

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Booker has been a long-standing advocate for agriculture and nutrition reform, learning the hard way as Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, the impact food deserts can have on a community. During his time as Mayor, Booker helped bring several supermarkets to the city and increased the access locals had to healthy foods through community gardens and urban farms.

As a Senator, Booker has been on the frontlines spearheading legislation, including supporting Black farmers and putting a stop to the corporatization and monopolization of agriculture. He’s also invested in climate change, expanding food assistance to communities in need, and allocating federal funding to agriculture education in schools. Booker will make history as the second Black person to be appointed to the U.S. Senate Ag Committee, one of the oldest committees in Senate history.  

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The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry focuses on agriculture, nutrition, food, and hunger. Senator Raphael Warnock was also recently appointed to the committee, making it the first time that two-Black people will serve simultaneously on the panel. Booker hopes to make a change as a committee member by “building diverse coalitions of stakeholders” to help address and advocate for reform in the sector. 

“Our food system is deeply broken. Family farmers are struggling, and their farms are disappearing, while big agriculture conglomerates get bigger and enjoy greater profits. Meanwhile, healthy, fresh food is hard to find and even harder to afford in rural and urban communities alike. In the richest country on the planet, over 35 million Americans from every walk of life are food insecure,” Booker said. 

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The former presidential candidate plans to expand on the work he’s already done and will continue to serve on the Judiciary, Foreign Relations, and Small Business committees in 117th Congress. 

Congratulations, Senator Booker!

Photo Courtesy of Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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