Introduction
Natasha Bowens’ book, “The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience, and Farming,” provides valuable insight into the path a community must follow to achieve autonomy and self-determination when facing oppression. The book chronicles the challenges of Native American, African American, and immigrant populations as they fight for justice, specifically emphasizing the importance of resilience in achieving food justice. The experiences shared by these farmers—who have faced injustices such as land appropriation and discrimination—demonstrate a vital lesson: a strong community maintains its core values and perseveres in its work, thereby preventing oppressors from breaking its collective spirit.
Historical Context of Injustices
While the sense of belonging to one’s culture and traditions is essential to many communities, some believe that after colonization or immigration, many tribes and communities are unable to maintain their roots due to strong assimilation. For example, Stilz notes that most populations experience a “loss of their identity, culture, and self-determination, and the loss of home” (Stilz 179). This remark highlights that many communities struggle to maintain their sense of self and autonomy within their community.
However, as will be seen further, the communities of African Americans, immigrants, and Native Americans persist in maintaining their values. The Color of Food by Natasha Bowens is divided into three parts that examine the historical context of the injustices inflicted on African communities and farmers. Bowens demonstrates how African Americans have attempted to fight back and restore a sense of self and community autonomy through an in-depth analysis of the difficulties these communities have encountered and the legacy of slavery.
Bowens shows the benefits of regaining autonomy as well as the numerous ways in which African Americans have struggled to escape repressive regimes. In the short poem by Nayyirah Waheed, the speaker emphasizes that “people of color could burn the world down,” yet they choose not to act like those who have violated them (Scaife and Zygmunt 32).
Through her writing, Bowens asserts that Black people must continue to fight for their freedom and oppose oppressive systems. Bowens describes how African American farmers have been “effectively locked out of the agricultural industry” as a result of “federal farm policies that were designed to favor white farmers” in Part I, Portrait 1, The Heirs of a Legacy (Bowens 20). Still, it is not only African Americans who experienced oppression.
Furthermore, the author explores the issues of Native American and immigrant struggles in Part II of the book. As was mentioned by one of the volunteers, “I think there are a lot of similarities between Black farmers and migrant struggles” (Bowens 25). Under Portrait 2, the author discusses the hardships faced by Mexican farmers who are forced to relocate to other regions in search of employment. Before the Mexican Revolution of 1910, the majority of Mexico’s farmland was controlled by a single, affluent power elite (Bowens 27). Peasant farmers received protection and land security following turmoil.
However, this fundamental privilege was revoked in 1991 by the newly elected president to make way for the prospects that NAFTA would offer (Bowens 27). As a result, due to predicaments, such as large taxes and the eradication of farms, many individuals flee for better opportunities, but when they cross the border, they “are just being met with more exploitation here” (Bowens 27). This highlights the underprivileged position of any immigrant seeking better opportunities.
When it comes to Native American communities and farmers, Bowens’s Portrait 2 in Part II discusses the experience on the Navajo reservation. The Navajo Treaty of 1868, the first of numerous territorial agreements, was established when the Navajo were permitted to return to their home. Nevertheless, ancient Diné territory historically encompassed a considerably broader area than the present reservation (Bowens 31).
Since it has more water and is more lush, much of that area was acquired for ranching, leaving the Navajo with the poorest third of their ancestral territory. In addition to facing challenges in maintaining their essential water supply, the Navajo people additionally face limits on their ability to raise cattle for sustenance and revenue (Bowens 32). The farm’s members find it inhumane that they cannot maintain their agricultural processes without limitations and must face corruption. As a result, this highlights the challenges faced by local communities in finding ways not only to adapt to farming methods but also to ensure their own sustenance.
Self and Community Autonomy
African Americans
Bowens introduces readers to the history of African American communities and their relationship to food production and land access in Part I of The Color of Food. The stories in this section highlight the long-term effects of systemic racism and oppression, from the enslavement of African Americans and their forced labor on plantations to Jim Crow laws, to current issues of food insecurity and poverty.
In Portrait 1, the Southern Food Network, for example, features Terrence Collins, a fourth-generation Memphis farmer, who uses his land to feed his community and advocate for food justice. The Southern Food Network, his organization, works to educate and empower people in his community to become self-sufficient. His story exemplifies the importance of autonomy and resilience in the fight for food justice, as he leverages his farming expertise to help his community access healthier, more affordable food.
Bowens delves deeper into how African American communities are advocating for food sovereignty and autonomy in Part II of The Color of Food. It is evident how African Americans are challenging the status quo and fighting for their right to access healthy, affordable food through the stories of farmers, activists, and entrepreneurs. The Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners of North Carolina (BFUG), for example, is a group of African American farmers and gardeners committed to providing healthy, locally grown food to their communities.
The BFUG works to create equitable food systems and increase African American farmers’ access to land and resources (Smith 178). The organization works to create a more just and sustainable food system for all through collective action and agricultural training. Overall, The Color of Food demonstrates the strength of self- and community-advocacy in the fight for food justice.
Immigrants
In Part III, Bowens describes the autonomy of the self and community among the immigrant population. For example, in Portrait 4, “Surviving as Transplants,” Bowens discusses the Hmong population. According to the author, “walking through Pang’s 12-acre orchard in Fresno County, California, was like walking into the lush tropical jungles of Southeast Asia” (Bowens 68). Pang, the owner of the farm where fresh and exotic fruits and vegetables are grown, demonstrates not only the autonomy of the local person but also his determination.
Now, Pand is capable of providing for his family since he sells the organic fruits to the “wholesale distributors who supply markets throughout California” (Bowens 68). Bowens wants the reader to learn that the sense of community and reverence for traditions can be sensed through the willingness to pursue the agricultural business. The strengths and aims of an autonomous society are rooted in food equity, driven by the desire to provide and share not only for one’s own family but also for others, thereby uniting the communities around oneself.
Similar to the previous story, in Part II, Portrait 4, “Home, Land,” the author narrates the pains of another Asian community with Japanese roots. The similarity is that both families experienced unfortunate events that forced them to flee their homes. However, the given story shows the pains of discrimination, and, as the writer speaks about the experience of the Kozuki family, she points to the struggles Japanese Americans had to endure during World War II and the following decades.
Coming to America long before the wars, the ancestors of Kozuki were seeking better lands for farms. However, after the attack on Pearl Harbor and World War II, there were not only camps for Japanese, but also massive discrimination (Bowens 39). After the story, Bowens stated that “many Japanese American farmers returning […] must have struggled to gain a strong market of consumers again with that kind of community sentiment” (Bowens 39). As a result, for the pursuit of self and autonomy, many immigrants had to endure discrimination, while still not abandoning their cultural values.
Native Americans
Despite these injustices, there are moments of significant resistance, self and community autonomy, resilience, and triumphs in Parts I, II, and III of The Color of Food. Bowens introduces the many facets of the slow food movement in Part 1, from the relationship between food production and the environment to the cultural and spiritual connections to food (Bowens 190).
Twitty, for example, discusses how “food can bridge gaps” between cultures and communities in his Portrait of Michael Twitty (25). Twitty speaks passionately about the “importance of food as a form of cultural expression”, as well as his efforts to “dismantle the myth of a monolithic African American culinary experience” (12). In this context, reclaiming African American culture and history through food is an example of autonomy and resistance in the face of such erasure’s injustice.
The Color of Food in Part III emphasizes these stories of independence even more: despite a long history of injustice and discrimination, a growing community of Black farmers in the South is finding ways to survive and thrive. Similarly, Bowens claims that “despite the plight of many immigrants forced to join the unjust farm labor industry, workers are transitioning to owners, reviving cooperatives, and sending a lesson to all beginning farmers on how it can be done” (46)
Bowens shifts her focus in this section to the work of farmers themselves, as well as the fight for autonomy and justice in the agricultural industry. For example, in the Portrait of Luis Castañeda, Luis speaks of the power of food to “bring back” traditional Mexican candies, “cubiertos,” and his vision to use these candies as a source of income as a small farm owner (Castañeda 80). The act of reclaiming traditional Mexican food is an illustration of autonomy and resistance in response to the injustice of cultural erasure. Luis’s work asserts his right to autonomy as a Mexican American while also demonstrating the power of traditional food to preserve culture and history.
Portrait 2 of Part III, “Transitioning to Sovereignty,” discusses the story of Luis Castañeda, a Mexican immigrant who has successfully transitioned from farm labor to farm owner and operator (105). He was able to acquire land and resources with the assistance of a land trust and a local organization, and he has established a successful farm and business. His story exemplifies perseverance and self-determination in the face of widespread injustice and discrimination.
Furthermore, Bowens suggests that Luis’s story exemplifies how immigrant communities can transition from labor to ownership and how cooperatives can help with this transition. This portrait exemplifies how the power of collective action and organization can be used to help African American farmers reclaim their land ownership.
Autonomy and Resistance in the Bay Area
The stories of how communities can resist oppressive systems and build thriving, resilient communities that can sustain and expand their work. This is especially true in the local Bay Area, where numerous efforts are being made to improve food access, land ownership, and small farm sustainability. These initiatives highlight the value of individual and collective sovereignty in the face of injustice and discrimination.
The stories of food access, farming, and land access are ultimately stories of people and connections, of community and autonomy, according to Bowens in Part 3. In this way, these stories of autonomy and resistance show how communities can band together to fight for justice and autonomy, and how, in doing so, they can build successful, resilient communities that can maintain and even expand their work.
Support of local communities is an important aspect of promoting the well-being of those who have been oppressed or are underprivileged. Many artists nowadays emphasize the issue of food security, stating “there ain’t really much to eat” (Grow Food 1:10). However, there are numerous initiatives in the Bay Area that aim to promote food access, land ownership, and small farm sustainability.
When it comes to food access and small farm sustainability, Bright Fund honors local, non-profit groups that aim to provide populations in the Bay Area with sustainable, locally produced, and healthful food supplies (Bright Funds). The given fund aims not only to ensure food security for the locals but also to provide training and education for the farmers. The entity aims to promote community engagement to help the Bay Area thrive.
When it comes to land ownership, the Bay Area Community Land Trust (BACLT) is a notable entity. By removing land and houses from the speculative market and assisting in the stabilization of local communities, the BACLT contributes to the creation of sustainably affordable homes via collectively managed land management initiatives (Bay Area Community Land Trust). These sources underscore the vital importance of securing local communities and upholding their rights.
Conclusion
In conclusion, “The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience, and Farming” comprehensively details the challenges and victories of African American, immigrant, and Native American communities in their pursuit of autonomy and control in agriculture across its first three parts. These accounts illustrate the process through which communities counter oppressive forces and establish highly resilient and successful local economies. The primary value of an autonomous, food-equitable system lies in its proven capacity to distribute nutritious, affordable, and culturally appropriate food to vulnerable populations, a capacity frequently embodied by community gardens and various forms of collective agriculture.
Works Cited
Bay Area Community Land Trust. How We Work. BACLT, n.d. Web.
Bowens, Natasha. “The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience, and Farming.” New Society Publishers, 2019.
Bright Funds. Food Security and Sustainable Farming in the Bay Area Fund. Bright Funds, n.d. Web.
Grow Food. Appetite for Change. YouTube, 2021. Web.
Scaife, Wilisha, and Eva Zygmunt. “I am My Community.” The Power of Community-Engaged Teacher Preparation, edited by Eva Zygmunt, Kristin Cipollone, Patricia Clark, Susan Tancock, Teachers College Press, 2019, pp.17-37.
Stilz, Anna. Territorial Sovereignty: A Philosophical Exploration. United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 2019.
Smith, Bobby J. “Food Justice, Intersectional Agriculture, and the Triple Food Movement.” Rethinking Food System Transformation. Springer, Cham, 2022. 175-185.
Twitty, Michael W. Rice: A Savor the South Cookbook. UNC Press Books, 2021.