Vanessa García Polanco is a scholar-activist, writer, and speaker on food justice and has served at the local, state, and regional levels to promote democratic civic empowerment, racial equity, and visibility of New Americans in the food system. Vanessa is currently a graduate student in the Department of Community Sustainability at Michigan State University. Vanessa is a New American; as a woman of color immigrant from the Cibao Valley in the Dominican Republic, she brings her identity and experiences to inform her research and advocacy activities. Read more from her at vanessagarciapolanco.com and @vgpvisions.