I thought a lot about the quote included in Pollution is Colonialism from activist-geographer Laura Pulido stating that “Land is thoroughly saturated with racism. There are at least two primary land processes to consider: appropriation and access”. The more I reflected on this, the more it rang true, and the more historical examples came to mind.
The example alleged in the paper, and one of the most apt, is the treatment of Native Americans by the United States government. Not only were these populations originally displaced upon the arrival of European settlers, but they have also been continuously subject to land appropriation and restricted access even to the current day. Native populations were restricted to reservations, with promises of self-governance and sovereignty, on land thought to have little value to the US government. However, when those lands were discovered to have resources of value, Native populations were disallowed access and then forcibly moved. More modern examples include the construction of oil pipelines through reservations.
These histories have lingering effects on the present as well. Speaking from my own personal experience, when traveling to or through certain areas that are predominantly white or known for their history of racial conflict, I often become hyperaware of my own ethnic background. I spend a lot of time in rural Oregon, which historically has been known to contain many “sundown towns”. While those specific practices are not prevalent today, there remain effects on the demographics, and occasionally still the attitudes, of local residents of these areas. While I am a white-passing individual, I can’t help but to think about the background that sets me apart while in these lands.