Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 11 hours ago
The James Beard Foundation’s Leadership Awards recognize individuals and/or organizations whose work is helping to create a safer, more healthful, equitable, and sustainable food world. The Awards are given for achievement in developing a global food system that is just, sustainable, and economically viable for both producers and consumers.
Savonala “Savi” Horne
Land Loss Prevention Project
Savi Horne is the executive director of the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers, Land Loss Prevention Project, which provides legal expertise, community education, and advocacy skills to help farms and rural landowners facing legal, economic and environmental challenges. She currently serves on the boards of the National Family Farm Coalition and the Rural Coalition and is a member of the United States Department of Agriculture, Equity Commission/Agriculture Subcommittee and the National Black Environmental Justice Network. She is a recipient of the 2020 American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) Award for Excellence in Environmental, Energy, and Resources Stewardship.
“I accept on behalf of my coworkers and comrades. It is the fruit of our common labor in the intersectional spaces of food justice and land rights that is being honored here today,” said Horne. “This award affirms the right to access to land that is not contaminated with toxins, or in close proximity to polluted spaces that deny a community’s ability to sustain itself and protect its foodways.”
Learn more at jamesbeard.org/awards
The James Beard Foundation’s Leadership Awards recognize individuals and/or organizations whose work is helping to create a safer, more healthful, equitable, and sustainable food world. The Awards are given for achievement in developing a global food system that is just, sustainable, and economically viable for both producers and consumers.
Savonala “Savi” Horne
Land Loss Prevention Project
Savi Horne is the executive director of the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers, Land Loss Prevention Project, which provides legal expertise, community education, and advocacy skills to help farms and rural landowners facing legal, economic and environmental challenges. She currently serves on the boards of the National Family Farm Coalition and the Rural Coalition and is a member of the United States Department of Agriculture, Equity Commission/Agriculture Subcommittee and the National Black Environmental Justice Network. She is a recipient of the 2020 American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) Award for Excellence in Environmental, Energy, and Resources Stewardship.
“I accept on behalf of my coworkers and comrades. It is the fruit of our common labor in the intersectional spaces of food justice and land rights that is being honored here today,” said Horne. “This award affirms the right to access to land that is not contaminated with toxins, or in close proximity to polluted spaces that deny a community’s ability to sustain itself and protect its foodways.”
Learn more at jamesbeard.org/awards
