By Isabella Bonilla
The relationship between land and culture is one that has been studied and reviewed but time and time again merits critical attention. With our area of study being the Afro-Latinx experience and its history, it is necessary to understand that the Western foundations that exploit, abuse, and displace Black and Indigenous people are still present today and demand collective action to combat. The issue that will be discussed in this analysis is that of the fundamental right of land ownership, and how access to this has positive effects on Black/Indigenous/Latinx communities. In order to analyze this connection I will examine the MST organization and its practices, as well as the personal essay “Paraíso Negro” by Kahlil Haywood.
To understand what the presentation by Cristina Sturmer -a scholar and activist that presented her work at Baruch College’s Black Futures Symposium– aims to achieve, we must first look at the concept of agrarian reform and why it is necessary. In the case of Brazil, we see that a cultural shift occurred after the 1930s. As the country wanted to urbanize quickly, the creation of large cosmopolitan cities rose. By 2006, Brazil was the fourth most urbanized country in the world. Brazil also has over 18 million people who live below the poverty line, which steadily grew through the urbanization process. In turn, the rural population decreased drastically. Currently, according to Sturmer’s presentation, 54% of the population identifies as Black. Regardless of this, they are still facing discrimination and injustice. This brings us to how occupying land responds to those injustices. There are many areas of land that are not protected/ or are formally native lands that the government is not allowing people who need a home to live on. We learn from the presentation that the government will go as far as sending militia to burn down the land that is not being used, in order to stop slave descendants from taking land ownership. The MTS operates “in search of a basic right in the Brazilian constitution: all land should have a social function”. The Brazil Landless Worker organization offers people in need an opportunity to occupy these lands to work and live on, while also providing a sense of acceptance and security to marginalized communities.
By making it a priority to merge these marginalized communities, including Brazilian people of color, LGBTQ, youth, and women, the MST has fostered a way to reinforce family and community building. To start, Sturmer mentioned in the presentation that there are several structures that “build objective conditions for participation”. For example, offering child care, and open groups that advocate and spread awareness of racial, sexual, and cultural advocacy. They strive to combat patriarchal structures and sexism by making it a point to always involve women in the decision-making for their organization. Overall, they “build a network capable of responding to the highest priority political and human rights alerts while giving strength to the global struggle for justice” (MST). The people who move onto this land come from similar circumstances and end up producing great quality, organic whole foods on their own ancestors’ land, and use it to feed not only themselves but other marginalized communities in surrounding urban areas. Everyone has a safe place to learn and grow. That is what makes agrarian reform a real means of gaining cultural equality. This is the reason why the organization has been able to settle over 1,000,000 landless workers and families. It also serves as a reason for agrarian advocacy: to provide a safe space means to give a community a successful foundation. Doing this type of work is also giving people a sense of self-worth. Being a part of a whole that is working to improve our society’s current state creates confidence and motivation to continue this work.
Similarly “Paraíso Negro” by Kahlil Haywood gives the reader a clearer picture of what reconnecting to your culture feels like. Though growing up in New York City during his youth, the Afro-Latino writer shares stories of when he visited Panama, where his family has always lived. Panama is similar to Brazil in that it has a large Black population whose government also struggles with deep-rooted racism, as it was too once functioning under the slave trade. Because he was raised around those who may not yet understand that Spanish speakers come from different ethnic backgrounds, he was left constantly questioning his cultural identity. His Caribbean peers also had large gaps in their concept of culture, race, language, and identity as a whole. Yet, when Haywood experiences the country his family calls home, he explains that “everything was a lot fresher. The experience was more natural” (Haywood, 120). He also makes observations such as: “the majority of Panamanians that I saw were black and that familiarity made things feel like home” (Haywood, 124). This account of connecting to one’s land and cultural identity ties the people of the MST and Haywood. Again, being able to connect to an ecosystem allows us to feel closer to our community. Although easier said than done, as we see with the efforts of MST, there is an overall positive impact when people have the opportunity to engage with their ancestral land.
How do these causes reinforce Black culture as a whole? To answer this, Sturmer explains that what they are trying to combat “requires social transformation”. By this, she means that the inequality that she and the rest of the marginalized Brazilians in this situation stems from centuries of prejudiced cultural ideals. Thus, no one person can make an effort to tackle this issue, it must be a collective effort. The MST does its part by continuing to spread awareness and offer its services to Brazilian families in need. The “open wound of slavery” is actively being healed with their efforts. Haywood comes to a similar consensus at the end of his essay reflecting on his travels: “inclusion should take into account the sensitivities and opinions of all genders, educational levels, and ages” (Haywood, 132). To fix these generational issues, there must be more room for all of those who are oppressed within the community.
Overall, by listening to Sturmer, one can understand the positive impact that organizations such as the MST can provide for Brazil for generations to come. The MST offers people a chance at reclaiming and connecting to their land and helps the population learn and unlearn things pertaining to the ideologies that have hindered social, racial, and cultural awareness growth in Brazil. We see also through Haywood’s personal essay that this type of education and cultural exposure can not only help understand one’s personal identity but also foster community and family solidarity. Agrarian reform is clearly still a work in progress, as we have learned that many groups actively try to stop them. But they serve as an example of community work, change, and possibility.