There comes a time in a nation’s history when it is incumbent upon its people to rise up against abuses of power and to reclaim their rights as defined by the broader social contract that has enabled our democracy to exist for some 235 years.

In the past month a small band of individuals have done just that. The discontent at the current set of abuses has grown so great that they took to it upon themselves to reclaim our democracy. Thus Occupy Wall Street was born out of a legitimate frustration with the collusion between Big Business and elected officials of the U.S. government, leaving the will and greater good of the 99% out in the cold.

And nowhere is that collusion so great as in food and agricultural production, where four corporations control 84% of beef packing, 66% of pork production and one company (Monsanto) controls more than 93% of soybeans and 80% of corn grown in the U.S.

For the past two weeks while the nation has been transformed by the message of young people standing up against corruption on Wall Street, several hundred individuals have been marching from New York City to Washington DC to help spread the important word about securing mandatory labeling of GMOs - a baxic right that has been denied Americans due to corporate influence on our governmental regulatory system. Tomorrow the Right2Know March will end up at Lafayette Park in front of the White House and we'll be there to join them.

It’s time for Big Business and our elected officials to stand up for the rest of us. This weekend is your chance to show them we mean business.

Click here to tell us you’re ready to be a part of the solution and find an Occupy event near you. 

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/461?akid=389.218993.65ig_B&t=8

Last week Food Democracy Now! joined with more than 400 other organizations, including farmers, organic companies, NGOs and faith-based groups in an effort to reclaim the basic right to know what is in our food and how it’s produced by asking the Obama administration to grant mandatory labeling of foods that have been “genetically modified” (GMOs) in high-tech laboratories.

In addition to joining this broad-based coalition, Food Democracy Now! released a never before seen video of then Senator Barack Obama promising to label genetically modified “GMO” foods if elected to the presidency.

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/434?akid=389.218993.65ig_B&t=11

Alarmingly, just this past week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has “written a document supportive of” the commercialization of genetically engineered (GMO) salmon despite the strong reservations of such approval from the scientific community and the opposition of the public. It’s clear, that the Obama administration is tone deaf when it comes to hearing the will of the people on GMO labeling and in taking a precautionary approach in the approval and deregulation process of GMOs. 

Here’s what you can do:

1. Sunday, October 16 is World Food Day, in honor of this day we are encouraging Food Democracy Now! members to join with fellow Occupy Events across the country.

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/456?akid=389.218993.65ig_B&t=13

2. If you live in Washington DC or vicinity, join Food Democracy Now! in welcoming the Right2Know March on Sunday October 16 at:

The White House in Lafayette Park, 1600 H Street, NW, Washington, DC. Marchers estimated to arrive at 12:30pm.

Meet and listen to inspiring speakers: Vandana Shiva, MichaeL Funk, Percy & Louise Schmeiser, Robyn O’Brien, Meagan Westgate, Dan Ravicher, Elizabeth Kucinich and more.

Click on the link below to find a map and lineup for Sunday’s events at Lafayette Park.

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/457?akid=389.218993.65ig_B&t=15

3. Can't get to an Occupy Event? Find a World Food Day at Organic Consumers Association:

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/458?akid=389.218993.65ig_B&t=17

Click here to tell us you’re ready to be a part of the solution and find an Occupy event near you. "It’s time to organize and Occupy - I’m in".

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/461?akid=389.218993.65ig_B&t=20

We’ve spoken to farmers, mothers and concerned citizens across the country and they believe that our cause to create a more just and sustainable food system can only be won by joining all efforts to reclaim our democracy.

Now is not the time to sit on the sideline.

It is vital that members of the food and sustainable agricultural movement join with those seeking economic justice, as the injustice and corporate collusion form the foundation of our broken food system in America and globally.

If you can't make it to an Occupy Event this weekend, please take a few moments to follow and promote events near you on Facebook and Twitter. It's time to get the word out and every bit helps!