EcoMadres are everywhere during Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month
This year’s Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month was a time of powerful conversations, heartfelt connections, and meaningful advocacy. From community events to high-level discussions, we met with politicians, thought leaders, advocates, and families across the country to address climate issues that deeply impact the health of our communities. At the forefront of these discussions was Latina maternal and children’s health at the intersection of climate disruption and a historic resolution we helped introduce.
Catch up with our work below and join us!
Protecting the next generation in the face of climate change
For every expecting mother, the dream is to provide a safe and healthy environment for her baby. Yet, climate change is making this dream harder to achieve, especially in communities of color. Extreme heat, exacerbated by climate change, is linked to severe pregnancy complications like preterm birth and pregnancy loss. Latinas, in particular, are disproportionately affected by these risks compared to non-Hispanic white women.
Recognizing this alarming disparity, EcoMadres proudly stood with Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) as she introduced the first-of-its-kind Protecting Latina Maternal and Infant Health Resolution. The resolution acknowledges the dangers posed by extreme heat and air pollution to Latina mothers and their children and calls for urgent, equitable interventions to address these unique vulnerabilities.
To continue the conversation and advocacy around this topic, Moms Clean Air Force and EcoMadres hosted our inaugural summit in Arizona on Extreme Weather Impacts on Latina Maternal and Children’s Health. The summit convened noted health professionals, government officials, and environmental justice advocates examining the challenges and solutions in addressing extreme weather’s impact on Latina maternal health and children. Conversations also covered federal climate investments to improve the health and futures of Latino families and the threat of petrochemical misinformation. Conecta Arizona served as media partner, sharing our livestream to more than 100,000 viewers. Watch now.
We continue to press forward. If you’d like to support this initiative and help protect the health of our mothers and children, join us in urging the House of Representatives to take swift action. Together, we can ensure a safer future for all families.
Extreme heat, air pollution, and climate justice: A month of advocacy
Our advocacy for climate justice took center stage these last weeks as we participated in key discussions across the country and in Mexico, focusing on how extreme heat and air pollution disproportionately affect Latino children and families.
In September, EcoMadres’ Karin Stein spoke at the Iowa Environmental Council’s annual conference, emphasizing the harmful health effects coal plants have on Latino children and their families.
During Climate Week NYC, Danielle Berkowitz-Sklar took the stage at the Climate Displaced Leaders Summit, sharing our progress in ensuring equity for working families who face air pollution and climate disruption. In October, Karin participated in the Faith Farms & Climate Event in Iowa, again spotlighting extreme heat’s disproportionate impacts on Latino families, while Mary Wagner joined a panel of experts to explore how climate change affects children and schools nationwide and how we can prepare the next generation for these challenges.
Later in the month in Mexico City, Liz Hurtado spoke at the international premiere of Respira, Mamá (Breathe, Mom), a film that follows a mother’s journey to secure her child’s right to clean air and features Moms Clean Air Force Co-Founder and Director Dominique Browning. Liz discussed how EcoMadres and Moms Clean Air Force are mobilizing communities to demand stronger air pollution protections for our children.
Mary also hosted Eco-Yoga: Calm in a Changing Climate, an interactive community event in Las Vegas that addressed the mental health impacts of climate change, and Karin’s cafecito in Sioux City, Iowa, addressed health impacts of coal plants on Native and Latino communities and the pressing need for clean energy solutions.
Closing out October, Isabel González Whitaker interviewed Justin Pearson about his path from community environmental activist for Brown and Black communities in Memphis to the national political stage in New York City. The interview took place at the offices of Dan Klores Communications for a global staff of 200 and was sponsored by their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
Latinos getting out the vote: Taking action and making our voices heard
Alongside our work for climate justice, we also made strides in mobilizing Latinos to ensure their voices are heard at the polls.
For this year’s 2024 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Leadership Conference, Isabel González Whitaker moderated the “Advancing Together in the Green Economy” panel. She was joined by Representatives Teresa Leger Fernandez and Mike Levin. SonTierra, a project of Artes Latinas and EcoMadres, performed at the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s Día de los Muertos celebration, where music and activism intertwined to encourage the community to get out the vote.
Danielle Berkowitz-Sklar spoke at American University with acclaimed author Dana R. Fisher about the intersections of environmental equity, Latino communities, and the 2024 elections, emphasizing civic engagement’s critical role in shaping our future.
Our Get Out the Vote postcard party under the full moon at Obodo Urban Farm in Las Vegas brought our community together to ensure every voice counts in the fight for environmental justice.
Utility accountability: Unmasking the truth of “natural gas”
In the face of ongoing disinformation campaigns, EcoMadres fights for accountability and transparency. In Nevada, Mary Wagner participated in the Centroamerica Independence Commemoration for Hispanic Heritage Month, sharing critical resources on clean energy and the need to hold utilities accountable. At a press event in Las Vegas, for the Public Utilities Commission Nevada General Consumer Session, Mary also highlighted the challenges communities face as soaring utility bills force families to make tough choices—like turning off air conditioning during the hottest parts of the day. During Volo Foundation’s Florida Climate Week, Emily Pickett and Liz Hurtado exposed the oil and gas lobbyists who have been spreading misinformation about “natural gas,” falsely marketing it as clean energy.
EcoMadres in the news
Isabel González Whitaker, EcoMadres Director and Moms Associate Vice President, was featured in People En Español’s “20 Most Powerful Latinos in the Fight Against Climate Change” list for her remarkable commitment to the Latino community and unwavering leadership in addressing climate change.
In a recent op-ed for Commercial Appeal, Isabel shared the benefits of a transition to an all-electric bus fleet in Memphis. Isabel was also recently featured on Leadership for Educational Equity’s podcast, The Leaders’ Table, where she discussed advocacy for children’s health impacted by climate change. She also participated in a webinar alongside Alex Mena, Executive Editor of the Miami Herald, in conversation with Harvard Business Review Editor-in-Chief, Adi Ignatious, about leadership and Latino voices.
In a Prensa Arizona op-ed timed to National Healthy Lung Month, Arizona State Representative Mariana Sandoval writes that joining Moms Clean Air Force is one way climate-concerned parents can stand up for clean air. Shaina Oliver, a proud member of the Navajo Nation and a resident of Commerce City, Colorado, shared her reflections with Sentinel Express on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In Las Vegas Weekly, Mary Wagner and her Nevada coalition partners called for greater transparency from the state’s utility companies.
Stay tuned in November
- Moms and EcoMadres will present EPA Administrator Regan with a special book commemorating collective efforts to improve regulations and protections over the last four years.
- EcoMadres’ Karin Stein will host an EcoCharla with Monica Ramirez, Founder and President of Justice for Migrant Women.
- Isabel González Whitaker will be honored at People En Español’s Top Latino Climate Leaders ceremony in Miami.
Join us
The work is far from over, and we need your voice. Together, we can drive action, hold polluters accountable, and ensure a safer, healthier future for all families. Let’s continue this fight for climate justice, maternal and infant health protections, and community well-being. Stay connected, get involved, and make a difference!
Together, we can shape a healthier, more equitable future for all.
Stay connected with us: LinkedIn / Facebook / X / Instagram
EcoMadres is a program of Moms Clean Air Force that supports Latino communities in fighting for justice in every breath, recognizing the importance of equitable solutions to address air pollution and climate change.