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Written and transcribed by Daphne Hines in collaboration with Ana Flores-Dolbow in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15, 2023).
CEFS initiatives like the NC Food Youth Initiative (FYI) & Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE) are known for facilitating and creating space for transformative conversations around the wellness of our communities, food systems, and the people within them. The 2019-2020 National Agricultural Workers Survey conducted by the Department of Labor (DOL) found that 87% of those interviewed identified as Hispanic or LatinX; highlighting how instrumental these communities are within our food systems. In celebrating the cultures, communities, and individuals of Hispanic & LatinX heritage, we bring focus to the intersection of language and our food system. As a pioneer in the field of farmworker advocacy and language justice, Ana Flores-Dolbow is making dynamic change that isn’t centered on how others want to engage with communities – but how communities need to be engaged with for transformation.
Health and Justice Organizer for Toxic Free NC (TFNC) and former CEFS NCFYI youth participant, Ana Flores-Dolbow, has been working for the past 10 years to transform communal beliefs on what community engagement means in the context of environmental justice, advocacy, and language. Using lessons learned in her youth work around food systems and the communities that labor within it, Ana educates and informs farm workers and their families – while also creating engaging programs and initiatives that facilitate community advocacy and interdependence.
Toxic Free NC advocates for safe alternatives to toxic chemicals and substances to protect people and communities that are exposed to them. When planting, nourishing, and harvesting the world’s food, farmworkers are often exposed to toxic pesticides that can cause a number of health ailments. Ana’s recent advocacy relates to pesticide safety and Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination of water systems in more than 20 NC counties. Ecological issues faced by farmworkers prompted the creation of the Environmental Justice Academy by TFNC in 2022.
The EJ Academy has been an important step for farmworker communities in improving accessibility to information and resources about hazards in or around farmworker communities. The first of its kind, the EJ Academy is facilitated in Spanish and hosts 10 classes centered around language and cultural justice, advocacy, and educating participants on both health concerns of exposure and how to create their own non-toxic, natural products and cleansers. There is a growing awareness among farmworkers about the environmental injustices they face.
According to Ana, “They now understand where they fall into environmental injustice and why it’s so important for them to take part in the movement and be part of the change. We also talked about how we’re exposed to pollutants in our homes, workplaces, and communities, and how community well-being is personal wellbeing. It’s not just an individual thing, you know, we all have to work together to make sure that we’re in a good space. And if we’re in a good space as a community, then individually we’re in a good space. “
Ana’s work teaches us that traditional means of engagement don’t go far enough to start or maintain useful conversations that help communities, particularly with community members who don’t speak English as a first language.
According to Ana, “The problems don’t start with engagement, but language accessibility. The research that is done [about PFAS] isn’t communicated in a way that is digestible or even accessible to Hispanic & LatinX community members that don’t have a scientific background.”
A central theme in the EJ Academy and Ana’s work is Language Justice. In her experience, language justice means: “having materials in the language that the community needs them in – a language that is digestible and accessible for that specific community. We need to make sure that we’re being equitable in the way that we form sentences or the words and tools that we use when we’re sharing this information as well.”
Not only is the Academy based in a language that the community needs, it also works to empower the community through equitable opportunities. “We made sure that everybody that participated in the academy was paid a stipend. Much of the money that we received for the grant went back to the community. We paid youth from the community to provide childcare at the academy meetings. We paid someone from the community to cook food for our in-person meetings. We’re beginning our second session between November 2023 – January 2024. We’re very excited about this upcoming session because it’s going to take a little bit of a turn. We’re supporting the first cohort who will facilitate the meetings, topics, and run the workshops. Through this next session, we’re building up their leadership capacity as well and they’re super excited.”
One of the many things we can learn from Ana’s successful endeavors is that transformation happens as we build powerful relationships of support.
“I believe building relationships with the community and building understanding on what the community needs are top areas of importance for creating transformative methods and processes. One of the things I appreciate about my organization is that we do things for the community and we really mean that. You have to build strong relationships within the community that you’re trying to advocate for, work with, or engage.
During our strategic planning process, we have meetings with community members or community groups and ask them, “what should Toxic Free NC be doing for the next two years or three years? “What projects could we do that would benefit you the most?” We listen and use what they tell us as our focus for the next couple of years.”
“Keeping community at the forefront of everything you do is the most important thing to begin the transformation process. Lariza Garzon from Hispanic Federation was instrumental in these transformative processes and did a lot of work to help us be where we are today. You have to build the relationship, show up for them, care for them, and do projects that benefit them. If we’re doing a project specifically for the farmworker community, we have a focus group before we start the project to understand what we want out of the project; what they feel they need for the project to be successful; and what personal needs do we need to show up for in the project. Childcare and transportation stipend needs were learned in that focus group. These factors are what I think are essential in building strong relationships, showing up for them – and not just when you need them, but showing up for them every single day. Understanding what their needs are and not trying to compare that to other groups because everybody’s different. You need to understand that you can’t use the same methods in every community that you come across. You need to understand the needs of the community on an individual basis – what is needed to be an active participant and be a part of the change.”