Acknowledgement:
I have learned a great deal since I first started writing this book. My awareness of the many advantages I have as an educated white American man is incomplete but increasing. I am working to educate myself, and in so doing, am starting to expose the racial and cultural biases I have internalized throughout my life. This is a dynamic and never-ending process, which is difficult to incorporate into the static format of a published book.
As one example, the book shows my ignorance of how some of Joel Salatin’s ideas reinforce racial and economic prejudice. When I first learned of some racist statements Joel made, it was too late to make edits to the text of my book, but that’s no excuse for my ignorance. There is such an amazing diversity of farming voices out there!
Joel’s books and teachings inspired me and helped me get started as a farmer. It is difficult to come to grips with the imperfect side of a role model, and even harder to recognize how I may share similar flaws. I plan to keep doing the work of self-education, and in the meantime I sincerely hope that, on the whole, the words of my book serve to educate and empower rather than offend or exclude. |
