I am pleased to share my conversation with Neftali Duran, a community cook, advocate, educator and organizer, who is working toward an equitable food system and building a network of Indigenous food leaders.
He is a former Salzburg Global Fellow, and co-founder of the I-Collective, an Indigenous collective that promotes a healthy food system that values people, traditional knowledge and the planet over profit. Neftali’s work is informed by his own experience as an Indigenous and formerly undocumented migrant worker and 20 years of experience in the restaurant and food industry as chef, baker and small business owner.
We spoke about veiled racism in western Massachusetts, and how it can be revealed in coded language, which is especially apparent around access to land for farming and summer recreation. We also considered how older white people can step up and stay involved in the movement for racial justice, instead of viewing it as a passing trend.
“When I speak about access to land or natural resources, it’s essential to remember that all of these things are intersectional, and we must also recognize the historical perspective,” Neftali says. “The original inhabitants of this region are still around. Even within progressive and educated circles, there’s always that disconnect. They ignore or forget the fact that Nipmuc, Abenaki and Wampanoag people and communities are all still around!
“Even calling this region ‘Pioneer Valley’ is racist! The name implies that only white people could develop this land, and erases the history that people had been surviving and thriving for thousands of years. There are plenty of other examples of language names in many of our streets and towns which are a constant reminder of atrocities against Indigenous people. Amherst is a very progressive town, and yet it is named after one of the first perpetrators of biological warfare.
White people with money think of themselves as not being racist, but then use coded language like ‘loud,’ ‘dirty,’ ‘underprivileged’ and ‘sketchy’ to describe people of color and poor people. The racist language that’s embedded all around us gives people a sense of who belongs and who doesn’t. White people with money then feel justified in being the gatekeepers.
There is a need for ongoing work and an interrogation of our history, language and location names. Locally, people are fixated on checking a box and thinking that one anti-racism training is sufficient rather than doing the ongoing deep work.
This country is founded on the genocide of Indigenous people and the enslavement and theft of black bodies. People really have to get used to saying that out loud all the time. We live in a relatively young country, which doesn’t excuse any of us from the moral obligation to do the right thing. Although the U.S. has never acknowledged any of our greatest wrongdoings, doesn’t mean that we as individuals can’t do better. White people should be doing this work dismantling the white supremacist system because they are the ones who’ve been benefiting from it.
Valley residents attempt to hide their racism by relying on coded racist language. I find it ironic that white people often point to ‘cleanliness’ or ‘noise’ as their main concerns, when in reality, the biggest polluters of the planet are white multinational corporations. Yet, white people with money are trying to keep people of color out of swimming areas in the middle of the summer, trying to pretend that noise or trash are the reasons.
Contrast that with the fact that the whole Connecticut River was destroyed all the way to the Long Island sound. White peoples’ commerce devastated the world population for oil and other things, but people overlook that and complain about ‘dirty, noisy’ people leaving a diaper on the beach. A single diaper is nothing compared to what Yankee nuclear did. White culture paints itself as ‘pristine’ and BIPOC as ‘dirty’, while simultaneously white culture and businesses have destroyed and continue to destroy the natural resources and water sources that communities of color rely on. We see this historically, especially in the Northeast.
Everything is connected. There’s a reason why there are so few Indigenous farmers don’t have land. There’s a reason why Black farmers, even though they build the economy, have no access to land. We can pinpoint the very specific national policies throughout the decades that have allowed this to happen and see that it’s no mistake.
So where do we go from here? It’s important to know that we as white people can’t label themselves as ‘allies.’ You can either be an accomplice to racism or not, it’s that clear cut. We must understand that, and this is ongoing work and will take a long time. Right now, everyone must be thinking, reflecting and talking about how to do better when it comes to eliminating racism and white supremacy culture, and remember that it is not the responsibility of people of color to teach white people.
There are many ways to address racism, from noticing and interrupting microaggressions at a party, to serving on a school board to advocate for the elimination of cops in schools. While many people are afraid of confrontation, this should not prevent anyone from being involved in anti-racism work. People can write letters to the editor, or attend city council meetings. Everyone can utilize their skills and be part of this work. When we recognize our personal obligation to step in and push back on systems of power, real change is possible, but it’s important to stay involved.
There is a wide range of opportunities for all of us to be and stay involved in this movement. There are all kinds of situations in everyday life that we can be part of to disrupt racism as it is happening. Everyone needs to harness their own strengths and play a role in working for justice.”
Chelsea Kline is a social justice advocate in western Massachusetts and a mother of three. She writes a monthly column for the Gazette.