“I’m floored,” says Moms’ Associate Vice President of Public Engagement and EcoMadres Director Isabel González Whitaker. She just heard she’s been named one of People en Español’s “Top 20 Most Powerful Latinos Fighting Climate Change.”
Since joining Moms last year, Isabel has been busy helping organize impactful events, including Moms’ first Climate, Pollution, and Youth Health convening, our annual Play-In for Climate Action—during which Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-4) introduced an Extreme Weather and Children’s Health Resolution—and our inaugural Extreme Weather Impacts on Latina Maternal and Children’s Health summit. The summit comes on the heels of our work supporting California Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán’s Protecting Latina Maternal and Infant Health Resolution, which recognizes the threat of extreme heat and air pollution to Latina maternal and infant health.
Isabel, who has a background in award-winning journalism, also spearheads Moms’ media initiatives, strategizes membership growth, and acts as a critical liaison to the White House, legislators on the Hill, and various agencies, particularly EPA.
Isabel took a moment to reflect on the path that led her to landing on People’s list with some of the greatest voices in the movement, including Dolores Huerta, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Christiana Figueres (the architect of the Paris agreement against climate change), and youth activist Nalleli Cobo, who we featured recently on our website. “From marching outside fast food spots in Atlanta as a teen to urge them to stop using polystyrene foam containers to establishing an urban greenspace in Georgia that honors Latinos (the Sara J. González Memorial Park) to now this work with EcoMadres and Moms Clean Air Force centering children’s health in climate change mitigation and adaption efforts, I see a throughline—calling?—that I didn’t before,” she says.
Behind the scenes here at Moms and EcoMadres, Isabel is known for her collaboration. She has a way of getting our various teams and team members to work together as a cohesive whole. So while People en Español is singling out her leadership at Moms, “now the largest and oldest organization of its kind,” and recognizing how she has helped EcoMadres become “a driving force in environmental advocacy,” Isabel believes this nod from the magazine is about the whole movement—not any one individual.
“This is an honor for Latinos working tirelessly on climate, which is a mobilizing priority for our community,” she says. “But it’s also a recognition that this fight is more than us. It draws needed attention to the climate crisis impacting all communities, and it generates space for conversation to say our shared earth matters to all of us. Gracias People en Español for this honor and for the inclusion of our work.”
¡Felicidades Isabel!