Threatened by Trump’s Policies, GreenLatinos Refuses to Back Down
GreenLatinos was founded in 2012 by Latino civil rights leader Mark Magaña to give the Latino community a bigger voice in addressing climate change. This national nonprofit convenes Latino leaders and communities advancing environmental justice, climate action, and access to clean air, clean water, and public lands.
“We’re fighting for environmental freedom,” says the organization’s Camila Cáceres. “We all breathe the same oxygen, we all depend on the water. It really is about the freedom of all people to make sure we have a healthy planet.”
But it was the Latino community’s frontline work in harvesting food from both the ocean and the land that drew Cáceres to the organization. In her role as Water Equity and Ocean Advocate, Cáceres champions clean water rights and campaigns for government policies that address pollution in Latino communities (including a collaboration with Un Mar De Colores in California’s Tijuana River Valley).
Cáceres, about to release a juvenile bull shark after taking a quick sample of blood and tissue. She's concerned about the impacts of the SHARKED Act making its way through Congress.
Other Recent Posts
New Shoreline Projects Could Add 168 Acres of Parks to the East Bay
New plans could transform Golden Gate Fields and an Oakland industrial lot into public parks, with sea-level rise resilience built in.
Is Rising Heat Making It Harder for West Oakland to Breathe?
West Oakland has asthma rates 7x higher than the rest of California. As heat waves get more frequent, residents like longtime activist Ms. Margaret Gordon are sounding the alarm.
Flores, Flautas, and an Invitation Outside
The Bay Area chapter of Latino Outdoors offers an invitation to outdoor adventure with free, bilingual hikes and camping trips.
Eco-Anxiety Got You Down? There’s a Group for That
Good Grief Network offers 10-week peer support groups where sharing feelings of climate distress and grief fights despair.
Flores, flautas y una invitación al afuera
El grupo de Latino Outdoors en el Área de la Bahía ofrece una invitación a aventuras externas, con caminatas bilingües y viajes de campamento gratuitas.
Nuevos proyectos costeros podrían añadir 168 acres de parques a la Bahía Este
Nuevos planes podrían transformar Golden Gate Fields y un terreno industrial de Oakland en parques que incorporarán medidas de resiliencia ante la prevista subida del nivel del mar.
El cambio climático hace que respirar en West Oakland sea cada vez más difícil
West Oakland tiene tasas de asma siete veces más altas que el resto de California. A medida que las olas de calor se intensifican, residentes como la activista Ms Margaret Gordon están prendiendo las alarmas.
Cáceres is also a shark expert. A marine biologist with a PhD in shark fishery, she works with fishing communities — advocating for, and explaining, shark’s central role in the ocean ecosystem. Cáceres is gravely concerned about the ocean’s vulnerability to climate change: “This idea that the ocean is infinite keeps us from focusing on it as an exhaustible resource.”
Another thing that is disrupting the organization’s focus on critical issues is politics. “ICE raids have impacted our work in every possible way,” Cáceres says, noting that fear keeps Latinos away from town hall meetings and GreenLatinos rallies, just as fear disrupts their daily lives.
Undaunted by the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant and environmentally destructive policies, Cáceres is in good company. Representing some 2,000 GreenLatinos members in the Bay Area alone, California State Program Manager Pedro Hernandez echoes her passion.
“There have undoubtedly been ebbs and flows in Latino community activism stemming from the impacts of ICE raids,” he says. “But our community is now more organized, more skilled, more adept at digital mobilization, and larger than ever.”
