Recently, I've been thinking about what governance really means, and what it would look like in a just society. I am learning the roots of injustice, and how claiming self-governance through localized food, governance, education, water, and health care systems can be a way forward.
This present moment calls for a radical change in the way our society is shaped, and the way people are cared for. Currently, people have very little direct control over how our healthcare, education, and other systems work. As I work on a research project about deforestation due to cattle ranching in Nicaragua, I am struck by how the interests of corporations rule. Because corporations are set up to maximize profit, they are incentivized, and permitted by society, to extract resources no matter the costs.
This causes a trickle down effect of harm to people at every level: the indigenous Miskito people who have sovereignty over the rainforest and are threatened daily, the producers who make next-to-nothing to transport and export cheap timber and beef to the US, and the consumers in the US who must eat cheap beef from a fast food restaurant because they live in a food desert or work multiple jobs. The same story plays out over and over again in every industry, be it production of food, technology, plastics or cars- people and the environment are exploited for the benefit of corporations.
The reality is, there are few people who want the rainforest deforested, or racial injustice, or the deepening of poverty. But our capitalistic structure, in which corporations have power over both the economy and the government, allows for limitless destruction.
But what would it mean if people had governance over the places they lived? What would it mean if we included the interests of the environment and of all people in decision making?
As I learn how to plant garden beds, store fruit, care for the watershed, plant native grasses and perennial seeds, and watch for migratory birds, I am learning to acquaint myself with place. I am learning to make herbal medicines from plants I can grow, to facilitate community decision making, to build places I want to live. I am learning to care deeply for the land where I live and the people I live around.
This corona virus time gives us the chance to visualize a future in which we are grounded in a place, grounded in community, and grounded in our collective liberation.
What would it be like if we localized and regionalized decision making? Rather than corporations deciding which trees to cut down, which pipelines to build, which waters to dam, the people who live there would decide.
What if we all learned about our watersheds, about the food that grows where we live, about the education systems we would want our kids to attend, about the health care systems where we would want to be cared for? What if we listened to the indigenous and other people of place to guide our way forward?
What if rather than fighting corporations to stop producing plastic, stop exploiting black and brown workers, stop funding the destruction of the environment, we could dedicate ourselves to forming local governments, food sheds, watersheds, and life sources that care for all beings?
The only way we can move forward is by re-claiming our sovereignty. We must learn how to govern ourselves, to work with leaders of all races, brackgrounds, and knowledge sets. We must envision what it would be like if we had autonomy over our bodies, our places of work, our families, our ecosystems, and our planet.
I am feeling newly inspired by a cross country road trip with my friend Bailey, and returning to the world of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center. Traveling through the steep mountains of Colorado, the vast canyons of Utah, and the glorious forests of California has renewed my sense of awe of the natural world.
I got to thinking: how can humans be a beautiful and beneficial addition to the intricate web of life that exists?
We have many examples from native and indigenous communities around the world who serve as integral parts of their ecosystems. In Sonoma County, I have been learning about the practices of the Coastal Miwok and Southern Pomo peoples who cared for and benefitted from the abundance of fish, oysters, native seeds and grasses, and flowers. They integrated controlled burns, careful maintenance of water and other resources, and sacred practices to express gratitude for the natural world. Today, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria continue to farm and teach our community about how to ethically and mindfully work with nature.
We live in a particularly challenging time- with a pandemic, wild fires, and an often frustrating political and economic structure. In many ways, we as humans have been stripped from the natural world, stripped from community, and stripped from our understanding of who we are.
I am on a quest to reconnect with my wild, life- generating self. How can I most be of service to the world? How can I fight for justice by reconceptualizing what it means to be a human -- creative, caring, defenders of life -- and honoring all people as such?
Through many conversations with Bailey, my fellow interns and co-workers at OAEC, my broader community of activists, and inspiration from Octavia Butler, Adrienne Marie Brown, and other powerful black and brown women activists, I have formed lists of "life culture" and "death culture". Essentially, does it contribute to the thriving of all life or does it harm?
* an important caveat being that death plays an essential part in life and the cycles of nature.
When considering whether an action is beneficial to all beings and a step towards our collective liberation, I like to think back to this list.
I would love to know your thoughts and additions to the list!
I hope you are feeling inspired and take the time to invest in your creativity. The world's deepest need is each of our creative forces!
Much love,
Abbey Joy
Here's a happy pic of today's harvest: figs, tomatoes, sweet peppers, grapes, mint, basil, apples, blood peaches, & abutilon and nasturtium flowers.
Coffee: Images from my time working on coffee farms throughout Colombia, Summer 2017 & 2018
