Hello! I saw your ethical residence under colonialism post and I know you get a lot of people commenting on it so feel free to absolutely ignore me.
I do believe that it is important to combat issues like colonialism as much as possible. You said that it required the "abolition of colonial authority over land usage" and this is done through "widespread institutional changes" (sorry for quoting but you're the first person I saw talking about it and really don't have any other language to go off of) but do you have any ideas of what individuals can do to fight this? I'm one person but I'd like to do what I can and id be grateful for any information or ideas you're willing to share!
(Also, if there's any changes to my question or usage of language in asking that would be more respectful or helpful, please let me know! I'm trying to learn about this but im very new to this issue, sorry!)
Opposition to colonial governance requires the creation of dualpower/counterpower which challenges government monopoly on necessary services. I’m going to specifically talk about food for this response.
“He who feeds you, controls you.” - Thomas Sankara
BIPOC communities are disproportionately food deserts, meaning they have little or no access to groceries. (And thus rely upon fast food, etc.) This is not some quirky coincidence, but rather another symptom of the slow-motion genocide experienced by BIPOC in the USA.
Food is the foundation of health - and deprivation of a healthy diet causes long term physical and mental harm to the residents living in a food desert. This in turn also lowers the somatic energy required to fight against unjust systems, reducing revolutionary capabilities of the afflicted populations.
Systems like food stamps are insufficient (making enough money to pay rent will often disqualify you) and create dependence upon the government for scraps. To act in solidarity we need to create alternative networks of food distribution which prioritize BIPOC communities.
However genuine distribution of power is not the same thing as charity. Simply showing up and dumping off some donated food will not challenge the system, or the power dynamics involved. We must build systems which allow these communities to gain greater self-sufficiency and we must fight to defend those projects from colonialist forces.
(Read that quote again, charity is still a form of control.)
Every community has different needs. If you want to help a community, you need to get in touch with those people and say “These are my resources, skills, and abilities; how can I use them to help?” - otherwise you might arrange something that is (to put it bluntly) a condescending display of the white savior complex.
Chances are projects already exist in those communities which you could join in solidarity. However on a smaller scale if you know families who could use assistance, you can always start there. Keep in mind that since needing assistance is a serious cultural taboo in the USA many people will be afraid to admit their needs and we must learn to approach those subjects in ways that respect the dignity of the people we want to help.
