 |
| ISSUE NO. 655 |
|
This week's newsletter comes to us from Anjali Prasertong, a writer and public health dietitian focused on food systems, racial equity, and nutrition. Prasertong led an innovative city-funded corner store program in New Orleans that increased fresh food access in low-income neighborhoods, and worked with food entrepreneurs in the city looking to operationalize racial equity in their businesses. Now living in Denver, Colorado, she writes the reader-supported newsletter (that we constantly reference) Antiracist Dietitian.
Before moving to Colorado, I noticed that some food organizations offered interpretation services at community meetings and other events for attendees who didn't speak English, usually if requested in advance. I never knew if anyone requested them, but it seemed like a step in the right direction. In Denver, however, I woke up to limits of interpretation-by-request — and to the power of language justice. As a practice, it includes providing interpretation and translation services, but it is also much more than that. With language justice, all attendees in a meeting hear interpretation, unless they understand all languages present. Virtual meetings have different audio channels for each language, and in-person meeting attendees wear headsets. In a meeting practicing language justice, if someone speaks in Spanish, I hear their interpreted words in my headset, and I can respond in English, with my words interpreted for them in Spanish. "Nobody feels that they can't communicate at any point, or that they need to ask for permission to communicate," Andrea says. "They actually have a seat at the table where their voices are going to be heard." Hallie Nelson, director of Jefferson County Food Policy Council, began prioritizing language justice in the organization after doing outreach in the local Spanish-speaking community, and hearing what people needed to feel more welcome in the council. Interpretation is only the first step. All meeting materials — email invitations, agendas, presentations, and other documents — are translated, and provided to attendees in the same format. Before language justice was incorporated into meetings, presentations were typically projected or screen-shared in English, and Spanish speakers were provided with a separate translated document to follow along, but Hallie notes this practice inserted small but meaningful barriers to Spanish-speaking attendees. Many were joining virtual meetings on their phones, where it is difficult to open and navigate a document while participating in a meeting. "And in person, following along [a separate document] on your phone or on paper when everyone else is looking at the screen kind of takes away from the experience," Hallie says. "We make sure to have our slides half in English and half in Spanish, so that they're both up there at the same time and for the same amount of time." Shifting from a model that has dominant and minority languages to one where more than one language operates in tandem also shifts power dynamics. As an English speaker listening to interpretation of a presentation given in Spanish, I have the experience of having to listen very closely, of being a little bit behind, of standing just outside the inner circle of immediate comprehension. It is humbling. Andrea has observed changes in food organizations after they begin centering language justice. Previously, when interpretation services were offered by request, no Spanish speakers were showing up to gatherings, but now the services are there no matter what. "So people feel that they can actually participate," Andrea says. "They're not inconveniencing anyone by attending this meeting. They don't have to let anyone know, and in that way, we get more participation in any kind of food system meetings." More importantly, everyone present is able to listen and express themselves in the language of their heart, the language that is closest to what they feel inside. "I can definitely grab the feeling that the person is speaking in Spanish, and put it into English in a way that does justice to the message — and the same way from English to Spanish," Andrea says. "I think that's something beautiful. It really allows people to participate fully and openly in any setting."
|
tidbits...resources on anti-racism, environmentalism and food culture AKA stuff we're reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday . . . Speaking of language and justice, last summer Civil Eats called attention to the fact that most farmworkers speak Spanish, but pesticide safety labels are often only printed in English. Not only is the fear of MSG rooted in xenophobia, it also rests on poor science. For those who need to cut down on sodium for their health, incorporating more MSG into their diets might be a tasty and healthy solution. Dollar chain stores deter grocery stores from opening nearby, which is a problem for the rural, low-income, and Black neighborhoods where they are disproportionately located. In response, some Black communities are pushing back. Clergy members in agricultural regions are a source of social and faith-based support for farming families. They are also learning how to better support farmers' mental health. (Content warning: discussion of suicide.)
|
 |