Finally! A reason to post a photo of watermelons…

As people across the country prepare for the long weekend and a summer’s harvest feast — including so much watermelon it makes your stomach ache — we are busy scanning the web to bring you the 4th of July Fair Food news round-up. And it’s been a busy week along the Campaign for Fair Food front, so let’s get started:

• Food Movement Rising: Declaring, “We stand at a moment of opportunity. Today, more than ever a growing network of citizens, businesses and organizations are rethinking and challenging every aspect of our food – from the time it’s grown to the time it’s eaten. Help unite the movement and connect with one another to have meaningful and scalable impact,” Roots of Change (rootsofchange.org) has launched a new video called “Food Movement Rising“. The CIW plays a cameo role in the “Response” section of the video, which is an inspiring look at the challenges and grassroots answers to those challenges that are popping up across the country in the growing food justice movement. Here’s the video, and check out rootsofchange.org for more information on how you can get involved:

• Fair Food movement weighs in on anti-immigrant hysteria in Georgia: Readers of this site will recognize the names of two writers who published op/eds this week on the comical-if-they-weren’t-so-tragic-and-totally-predictable consequences of Georgia’s anti-immigrant law, House Bill 87. The bill blew up in the face of the state’s growers — many of whom supported the governor and the know-nothing politicians who passed the unenforceable law — when tens of thousands of skilled immigrant farmworkers simply chose to bypass Georgia and take their talents to other states this summer, leaving crops to rot in the fields and resulting in losses between $300 million and $1 billion when all is said and done.Be sure to check out Emiko Soltis’ piece, “Gov. Deal’s farm labor plan recalls convict leasing,” published in Atlanta’s alternative magazine “Creative Loafing,” and Barry Estabrook’s blog post, “Felons in the Fields: Jim Crow Raises his Ugly Head in Modern-Day Georgia Thanks to New Immigration Law,” at his blog, politicsoftheplate.com.
• A little Fresh Air for Fair Food: And speaking of Barry Estabrook, don’t miss his extended interview on NPR’s “Fresh Air” program, which aired this week across the country. Go here to have a listen, as he and host Terry Gross talk about his new book “Tomatoland.”

That’s all for now, but be sure to check back soon for more from the Campaign front!