By Chief Itza
Land back!
My name is Itza and I am an Indigenous anticolonial communist and food grower. I grow food to feed Colonized people, fresh fruit and vegetables free from synthetic pesticides and inorganic fertilizers. I grow food to overturn the contradictions that colonialism has laid out in the form of food insecurity, food apartheid and foul agricultural practices that harm Colonized people and the land. The current global food system is one founded upon colonialism, imperialism, genocide and theft. All it knows is violence as it abuses the land, genocides other biotic life and exploits Colonized people worldwide into forced labor.
The variety of out-of-season produce seen in an Amerikkkan grocery store is loot from other Colonized nations and the literal stolen fruits of Indigenous people’s labor in so-called California. Despite what these “eco-friendly” liberals may want to argue, it is unscientific and impossible to create a sustainable global food system under colonialism because kkkolonialism itself is unsustainable. In fact, this vile system will not be lasting any longer. Time is up. The demise of colonialism is well underway and cannot be denied, so it is imperative now more than ever that we develop food sovereignty and an anticolonial food system that serves Colonized people everywhere.
⅔ of all fruit and nuts and ⅓ of all vegetables consumed in the united snakkkes are grown in California through Indigenous labor from Turtle Island and Abya Yala (Pachamama, a.k.a “South america”). White power destabilizes Colonized nations through economic warfare, outright assassinations of revolutionary leaders and the installation of neocolonial $ellouts that limit employment opportunities and escalate the murder of Indigenous people and the theft of Indigenous land. Through these conditions of destabilization, white power gains low-cost labor—stealing the lives, labor and lands of Indigenous and Colonized people that it can readily discard. Between 1 to 3 million predominantly Indigenous Mexican, Guatemalan and Honduran men migrate to the united snakkkes annually to fulfill this labor need. We know who the real working-class is and it’s not these translucent “people”. Indigenous people arrive with invaluable knowledge of the land that colonizers will never understand.
Despite feeding the majority of this illegitimate colonizer nation, Indigenous agricultural workers endure the contradiction of food insecurity and starve. Food insecurity manifests when there is an uncertainty in a household’s ability to obtain sufficient food due to a lack of resources. A highly food insecure household is one where at least one member changes their eating patterns or reduces their food intake due to insufficient resources. While only 15% of the general public are food insecure, Indigenous farm workers are found to be 400% more likely to face food insecurity. This is not by mistake. Indigenous farm workers earn an average of $10,000 to $12,499 annually and one in three farm laboring households fall below the federal poverty line. This is by design. This violent colonial contradiction of hunger can only be overturned through an anticolonial food system that exists solely to serve all Colonized people by cultivating food with love and respect for the land.
No one is “illegal” on stolen land, yet this vile colonial state threatens Indigenous farm workers with deportation on their own land! 52 of every 100 Indigenous people that tend to the land for industrial agriculture do not have their “freedom papers” to work “legally” in this illegal white power state. Colonialism uses this contradiction to further the abuse endured by our Indigenous farm working relatives. Indigenous people encounter: physical, mental and sexual violence from colonizers and their institutions, inadequate housing conditions, exclusion from labor law protections, pesticide violations, forced child labor and insufficient resources for their children’s education. Agricultural workers are at high-risk of being trafficked for the purpose of forced labor. It is estimated that $9 billion is made annually in illegal profits from the forced labor of agricultural workers. Any attack on a Colonized person is an attack to all Colonized people everywhere. We must destroy colonialism and its operating food system. We must militantly continue to develop our anti-colonial food system because white power takes no days off, so neither should we!
We are building a dual-contending power to overturn the colonial contradictions of hunger and starvation, ending the exploitation of our Colonized relatives and the abuse imposed on the land. Specifically in the garden committee, we work, learn and are guided by the land rather than trying to control it like a colonizer would. We are guided by the principle that we are inseparable from the land, animals and all Colonized people. Food is central to all life, so feeding the Colonized masses is an essential duty when we have been left to starve under colonialism.
Black Hammer’s Garden Committee will be holding a Spring Kickoff Event where members of the organization can learn how to create food sovereignty to break away from the colonial food system and give their hoods access to quality, fresh and organic food!
Helping Colonized people develop food sovereignty and create beautiful bountiful gardens has given my life purpose. I humbly serve the Colonized masses every day through this anticolonial work, so if you want to feed Colonized people while liberating our food from the colonizers and sellouts in power, healing the Earth in the process, join Black Hammer and join our Garden Committee! We don’t just write articles but we are doing the damn thing with 20 gardens globally including our first garden in Africa!
Use your writing talents to further the Liberation of all Colonized People by joining Black Hammer Times today! We are looking for journalists, reporters, poets, and more, so do not worry; there is a spot on our team for you.
You can also submit your work to us, and as long as it unites with our 4 Principles of Unity, you will see your writing published on all of our platforms.
Only anti-colonial revolution will bring sustainable farming practices and healthy diets that exist within harmony to our Earth!