PEOPLE’S JOURNEY: WATER

yokut land
san joaquin valley

Thank you to the Yokut people, who steward the land that holds us along this journey.

The second section of our journey grounds us in the element of WATER.

The seed of our journey was sowed amidst the deeply nourishing soil of Tongva land (Pasadena, Altadena, LA) — our starting place and home of Octavia E. Butler — where we leaned deeply into the embodiment of “community as shelter”.

In growing this seed, we look to the life-giving element of water as we learn from and join hands with our comrades on Yokut land (San Joaquin Valley) in their sacred and crucial work of water rights.

allensworth community

The profound legacy of community survival in Allensworth, as well as the story of Acorn in Octavia E. Butler’s Parables, remind us that our survival is inextricably tied to the land. And yet, that our interdependent relationship with the land is complicated and fragmented by the systemic forces that seek to deprive Black and brown communities.

Allensworth has faced water issues, including the presence of arsenic, since the early 1900s. As of March ‘23, the city is under a boil water notice due to the recent floods.

Allensworth Progressive Association - Established by township founders, APA serves the historically Black rural community of Allensworth.

Friends of Allensworth - Aims to support, promote, and advance the educational and interpretive activities at Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.

TAC Farming - TAC Farm is working to stimulate the economy of a depressed region through the use of interconnected agricultural ventures. The town of Allensworth was founded based on the belief in sustainable farming methods and self-sufficiency, a spirit TAC Farm would like to further animate in the town and share with visitors.

masumoto family farm

Generational family farm (est. 1948), managed by Nikiko and Mas Masumoto, that cultivates certified organic peaches, nectarines, apricots and grapes.

California Field School

CFS aims to take youth on adventure learning bike tours exploring social & environmental justice.

WATER RIGHTS ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION

Over a million Californians lack safe and affordable drinking water, mostly caused by industrial agriculture putting contaminants in the ground and over-extracting at a rate faster than our ground water can be replenished.

The Central Valley had experienced drought for decades until the heavy rainfall of 2023. Tulare Lake, once the largest body of freshwater west of the Mississippi river and dry for 40 years, reappeared.

We brought together people of color who work, breathe, and play in the Central Valley to give their experiences of the Valley. They reflected on their current place and how their livelihoods both impact and are affected by the lack of and abundance of water in the Central Valley.

janaki anaghA

Janaki Anagha is Community Water Center’s (CWC) Director of Community Advocacy and a part of the California Farmer Justice Collaborative (CFJC). Previously, she worked in the San Joaquin Valley advancing agricultural and environmental policy towards justice for communities bearing the burden of California’s food system.

CWC works towards realizing the Human Right to Water for all communities in California through education, organizing, and advocacy.

CFJC works to build a fair food and farming system, challenge historic racism and oppression, and regrow agriculture with farmers of color at the center and directing its course.

Baljit Boparai

Baljit Boparai, a second-generation Punjabi farmer from Del Rey, CA, is the family partner of Boparai Farms, where he has dedicated himself to efficient and sustainable farming practices for the past 28 years.