🕸️ Chapter 3: Anti-Black Racism and White Supremacy
18 3.4: Case Study 3.2
Gatekeepers
Author: Kishon Warmington
Trigger warning: This case shares an example of interpersonal racism through gatekeeping, white entitlement, microaggression, and patrolling and policing Black people. It also demonstrates the impact on who is a part of the food system, which foods get produced and if Black communities get to access them.
There was another incident with a neighbour down the street in which I went to introduce myself. She welcomed and immediately proceeded to inform me that they had a neighbourhood watch in the area and that she kept track of every vehicle that comes up and down the road. She started to ask me how many people lived at my farm, who visited, and what kind of vehicles frequently visited my farm. She tried to make it seem as if she was asking for the benefit of the neighbourhood. I was immediately offended and once again felt as if I didn’t belong and was targeted or put on some watch list by my fellow neighbours. I realized these incidents triggered and traumatized me. I have talked to a few other Black farmers in Canada that can relate and has gone through the same experiences.
From my experiences I now know why there are not many Black farmers in the prairies. We are left to feel like we do not belong. It is hard to imagine having more Black farmers on the land to build a more sustainable food system that is more culturally appropriate for our community when there is still systemic racism for Black people owning land.
Keywords: Gatekeeping, Interpersonal Racism.