WASHINGTON— Today, two internationally significant annual observances take place: Cinco de Mayo which celebrates the historic victory at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862; and the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
In response, leaders for natural, historic, and cultural resource stewardship in Arizona, Utah, California, Georgia and Washington, DC issue the following statements:
“On Cinco de Mayo we’re reminded of resilience, identity, and the power of people to shape their future. That’s what’s at stake at our national parks. Our public lands tell the story of who we are and that story is incomplete without Latino, Chicano and Hispanic voices adding the culture, legends and histories of our gente. Our people and stories of historic sites, deserts and sacred lands. Today we’re seeing efforts to erase those stories, removing Spanish language resources and creating fear that keeps families from visiting the very lands that belong to them. This should never be okay. Our parks and our national spaces are for everyone,” said Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva, representing Arizona’s 7th congressional district.
“Today we take back Cinco de Mayo to uplift the future we deserve: a future where our neighborhoods are cooler, healthier, and more connected in the face of a changing climate; a future where restoring land also restores our well-being; a future where the solutions to climate challenges are rooted in culture and collective action. This is what history will remember us for,” said Amanda Pantoja, GreenLatinos Urban Greening Initiative Coordinator.
“If we memorialized every missing or murdered Indigenous woman or girl in the same way as done at Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge (formerly Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge), we would likely run out of national parks to rename before we reached the letter B. That is the scale of the erasure of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives. That is the depth of the silence. The stories we tell matter,” said Angelo Villagomez, Center for American Progress Senior Fellow.
“James Baldwin said that to be a negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time. The first (15) months of the Trump Administration has certainly activated a state of rage that we’re witnessing in the resistance to inhuman immigration policies, erasure of truth and science in our parks, and opposition to destruction of our public lands. I am confident that the courage displayed in places like Los Angeles, Charlotte, and Minneapolis will eventually be celebrated. I am confident that the connections and community built in resistance at places like Big Bend National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve, and Yosemite will someday be portrayed as a critical chapter in our efforts to defend our land from existential threats,” said Sherman Neal II, Sierra Club Deputy Campaign Director.
“Cinco de Mayo’s roots are resistance and sovereignty. We are reclaiming Cinco de Mayo by defending history and reconnecting to the land, our identity and our power. We’re preventing protections from being rolled back in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Bears Ears National Monument and standing up to attacks on our cultural connections in San Juan National Historic Site, the Gulf Islands National Seashore, San Antonio Missions National Historic Park and many others,” said Jazzari Taylor, Latino Outdoors Policy Director.
“Interior Secretary Burgum’s secretarial order whitewashing history at national parks and museums challenges our freedom to think for ourselves. If we let people motivated to obscure histories of enslavement and the hardships our ancestors overcame for civil rights, we are allowing them to make decisions for us. That’s not the kind of independence we want for ourselves and children. As we remember the real reason behind annual Cinco de Mayo celebrations–the victory at La Batalla de Puebla–let us defend the truth at places like Antietam National Battlefield and the National Mall where publications and monuments commemorating the contributions of Hispanics in the Civil War are under threat,” said Olivia Juarez, GreenLatinos Public Land Program Director.
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Acerca de GreenLatinos
Tras la conclusión de la Conferencia de Santa Marta sobre una transición justa lejos de los combustibles fósiles
PARA PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA: 30 de April, 2026
CONTACTO DE PRENSA: Edder Díaz Martínez, Communications Director, 602-832-6039, [email protected]
SANTA MARTA, COLOMBIA — GreenLatinos se une a aliados globales para marcar el cierre de la Conferencia de Santa Marta sobre una transición justa lejos de los combustibles fósiles, reconociéndola como un paso importante para avanzar el diálogo y la coordinación internacional. La Conferencia contó con la participación de más de 50 países.
Si bien la Conferencia creó un espacio clave a nivel global para centrar a comunidades de primera línea, la sociedad civil y el liderazgo del Sur Global en la construcción de un futuro sin combustibles fósiles, no logró establecer un Tratado de Combustibles Fósiles vinculante entre países que impulse acciones concretas para enfrentar la principal fuente de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero que agravan la crisis climática y social.
“La Conferencia de Santa Marta marca un paso importante para avanzar la eliminación de los combustibles fósiles fuera de la CMNUCC, donde el progreso ha sido demasiado lento. Al mismo tiempo, la ausencia del gobierno de Estados Unidos es preocupante y, francamente, inaceptable”, dijo Irene Burga, Directora de Justicia Climática y Aire Limpio de GreenLatinos.
Al concluir la Conferencia, se espera la publicación de un informe de síntesis o “hoja de ruta” que recoja los principales temas discutidos y ofrezca dirección política concreta sobre cómo lograr la eliminación de los combustibles fósiles. Este informe se anticipa para junio, previo a la Conferencia de Bonn sobre Cambio Climático.
GreenLatinos enfatiza que este informe debe reflejar las prioridades impulsadas por la sociedad civil y los movimientos de justicia climática, incluyendo:
“En un momento en que la crisis climática está devastando comunidades en todo el mundo, nuestra administración actual está ignorando la ciencia. En lugar de liderar, continúa expandiendo los combustibles fósiles y sosteniendo sistemas que generan conflicto, militarización y daño. Las comunidades de primera línea y del Sur Global han sido claras: necesitamos una transición justa basada en derechos, reparaciones y verdadera rendición de cuentas. Eso significa avanzar hacia un camino legalmente vinculante y completamente financiado para eliminar los combustibles fósiles. GreenLatinos se mantiene en solidaridad con ese llamado”, añadió Irene Burga.
GreenLatinos también reconoce el esfuerzo significativo de los organizadores de la Conferencia para facilitar la participación de la sociedad civil y crear espacios de diálogo entre regiones y sectores. Al mismo tiempo, hay lecciones importantes, especialmente en mejorar la coordinación y garantizar una participación más amplia y equitativa en el futuro, incluyendo un acceso más sencillo a visas para participantes del Sur Global y mayor accesibilidad lingüística.
“Lo que estamos viendo en Santa Marta ahora debe reflejarse en acciones a nivel estatal en Estados Unidos. Ahí es donde la transición se vuelve real: en decisiones de servicios públicos, políticas regulatorias e inversiones comunitarias. Para las comunidades de primera línea, la justicia no solo significa dejar los combustibles fósiles, sino también limpiar los daños del pasado y asegurar que nadie se quede atrás. Los programas estatales de GreenLatinos en Texas, Nuevo México, Colorado y California, que están entre los principales productores de combustibles fósiles, trabajan en esto todos los días”, dijo Ean Tafoya, Vicepresidente de Programas Estatales de GreenLatinos.
GreenLatinos continuará trabajando junto a aliados internacionales para asegurar que los resultados de esta Conferencia se traduzcan en avances reales hacia un futuro justo, equitativo y libre de combustibles fósiles.
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GreenLatinos (NOTA: GreenLatinos es UNA PALABRA) es una comunidad activa de líderes latinos/a/e, envalentonados por el poder y la sabiduría de nuestra cultura, unidos para exigir equidad y desmantelar el racismo, con recursos para ganar nuestra justicia ambiental, batallas de conservación, climáticas e impulsadas a asegurar nuestra Liberación política, económica, cultural y ambiental.
Para mantenerse conectados con el creciente trabajo internacional de justicia climática de GreenLatinos, invitamos a aliados y miembros de la comunidad a unirse a nuestra lista de comunicaciones.
Following the conclusion of the Santa Marta Conference on a Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels
PARA PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA: April 30, 2026
CONTACTO PARA LOS MEDIOS: Edder Díaz Martínez, Communications Director, 602-832-6039, [email protected]
SANTA MARTA, COLOMBIA —GreenLatinos joins global partners in marking the conclusion of the Santa Marta Conference on a just transition away from fossil fuels, recognizing it as a significant milestone in advancing international dialogue and coordination. The Conference saw participation from more than 50 countries.
While the Conference created a critical global space to center frontline communities, civil society, and Global South leadership in shaping a future beyond fossil fuels, it fell short of delivering a binding Fossil Fuel Treaty among countries that will finally take steps to tackle the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions that are perpetuating our global climate and social crisis.
“The Santa Marta conference marks an important step in creating a global space to advance a fossil fuel phaseout beyond the UNFCCC, where progress has been too slow. At the same time, the absence of the U.S. government is telling and quite frankly, unacceptable. said Irene Burga, Climate Justice and Clean Air Director at GreenLatinos.
As the Conference concludes, outcomes are expected to include a synthesis report or “roadmap” that includes the major themes from the conference and concrete policy direction around how to achieve a fossil fuel phaseout, anticipated in June in time for the Bonn Climate Change Conference. GreenLatinos emphasizes that this report must reflect the priorities advanced by civil society and global climate justice movements including a call for a legally binding, rights-based and fully funded transition away from fossil fuels, including an end to new oil, gas, and coal expansion; rejection of false solutions; elimination of fossil fuel subsidies and industry influence; provision of public, grant-based, non-debt climate finance and Global South debt cancellation; protection of multilateral processes from industry capture; and an end to militarism, imperialism, and resource-driven wars.
“At a time when the climate crisis is undeniably ravaging communities across the globe, our current Administration is turning a blind eye and denying the clear science. Instead of leading, it continues to expand fossil fuels and uphold systems that fuel conflict, militarization, and harm. Frontline and Global South communities have been clear: we need a just transition rooted in rights, reparations, and real accountability. That means moving beyond voluntary commitments toward a legally binding, fully funded pathway to phase out fossil fuels. GreenLatinos stands in solidarity with that call,” said Irene Burga, Climate Justice and Clean Air Director at GreenLatinos.”
GreenLatinos also recognizes the significant effort made by Conference organizers to coordinate civil society participation and create space for engagement across regions and sectors. At the same time, there are important lessons to be learned, particularly in strengthening coordination and ensuring broader, more equitable participation moving forward, in terms of simpler access to visas, especially for Global South participants, and greater language accessibility.
“What we are seeing in Santa Marta must now show up in state-level action across the United States. This is where the transition becomes real, through utility decisions, regulatory policy, and community investment. For frontline communities, justice means not only ending fossil fuel use, but cleaning up the legacy of harm and ensuring no community is left behind. GreenLatinos State Programs that are top 10 Fossil fuel producers include Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and California. They are in this work everyday.” said Ean Tafoya, Vice President of State Programs at GreenLatinos.
GreenLatinos will continue working alongside international partners to ensure that the outcomes of this Conference lead to meaningful progress toward a just, equitable, and fossil fuel-free future.
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Acerca de GreenLatinos
GreenLatinos (NOTA: GreenLatinos es UNA PALABRA) es una comunidad activa de líderes latinos, envalentonados por el poder y la sabiduría de nuestra cultura, unidos para exigir equidad y desmantelar el racismo, con recursos para ganar nuestras batallas ambientales, de conservación y de justicia climática, y motivados para asegurar nuestras políticas, Liberación económica, cultural y ambiental.
GreenLatinos (NOTA: GreenLatinos es UNA PALABRA) es una comunidad activa de líderes latinos/a/e, envalentonados por el poder y la sabiduría de nuestra cultura, unidos para exigir equidad y desmantelar el racismo, con recursos para ganar nuestra justicia ambiental, batallas de conservación, climáticas e impulsadas a asegurar nuestra Liberación política, económica, cultural y ambiental.
To stay engaged in GreenLatinos’ growing international climate justice work, we encourage partners and community members to join our communications list.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 04/23/2026
MEDIA CONTACT: Edder Díaz Martínez, Communications Director, 602-832-6039, [email protected]
WASHINGTON— Following the announcement from the Department of Justice of the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), GreenLatinos Founding President & CEO, Mark Magaña, releases the following statement:
“On this Earth Week, we stand in solidarity with the Southern Poverty Law Center. For more than fifty years, Earth Day has reminded us that progress is not guaranteed. It is earned and defended by people and institutions willing to speak truth to power. Today, that legacy calls us to stand with those advancing civil and human rights.
The indictment of SPLC represents a deeply concerning escalation in the use of governmental power against civil society organizations. When institutions dedicated to justice and equity face actions that may chill or undermine their work, the consequences extend far beyond any one organization.
Civil rights and environmental protection are inseparable. From the farmworker movement to the fight for clean air and water in frontline communities, our work is and will be rooted in dignity, equity, and justice. Efforts to intimidate or weaken civil rights organizations threaten the very foundation on which environmental progress depends.
As leaders working to protect our climate, lands, waters, and communities, we rely on a society where people can organize freely, advocate without fear, and hold institutions accountable. We join partners across movements in affirming that these freedoms are essential to a functioning democracy.
We reaffirm our commitment to a just and sustainable future and to standing alongside those who defend the civil rights that make that future possible.”
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Acerca de GreenLatinos
NOTE: GreenLatinos is ONE WORD. GreenLatinos convenes an active comunidad of environmental, conservation, and climate justice leaders rooted in the power and wisdom of our culture, united to uplift our priorities, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation.
GreenLatinos (NOTA: GreenLatinos es UNA PALABRA) convoca a una comunidad activa de líderes ambientales, de conservación y de justicia climática, arraigada en el poder y la sabiduría de nuestra cultura, unida para impulsar nuestras prioridades y motivada a asegurar nuestra liberación política, económica, cultural y ambiental.
GreenLatinos’ Urban Greening Initiative Shows Climate Resilience Starts at Home
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 04/22/2026
MEDIA CONTACT: Cumbia Padilla, Communications Coordinator, 707-382-8113, [email protected]
CHICAGO— In celebration of Earth Month, GreenLatinos is proud to share the growing impact of its Urban Greening Initiative, a community-driven effort advancing climate resilience, environmental justice, and authentic local stewardship across Chicago.
From expanding urban tree canopy and community gardens to bolstering youth workforce development programs and neighborhood compost hubs, the initiative has delivered measurable environmental and community benefits since its launch in August 2025.
Over the past six months, the program has:
“During Earth Month, we celebrate the real impact of our urban greening initiatives. When we invest resources directly into the hands of our communities, our planet heals,” said Amanda Pantoja, Urban Greening Initiative Coordinator with GreenLatinos. “Our neighborhoods have been caring for the Earth for generations, and this stewardship continues every day in our Latino households and communities. Seeing our people lead urban greening projects with their own vision and hands shows that climate resilience is not just a goal—it is a reality we are building together.”
In Chicago, projects advanced community green spaces, environmental learning areas for children, and restoration planning through partnerships with local institutions and residents. “In Chicago, we’re investing in community-driven projects that are turning some of our most environmentally burdened neighborhoods into healthier, greener spaces,” said Lucy Contreras, Illinois State Program Director with GreenLatinos. “Our awardees are reclaiming land, revitalizing their communities, and expanding access to nature in areas that have long been overburdened by pollution and disinvestment.”
This Earth Month, GreenLatinos reaffirms its commitment to investing in frontline communities and supporting community-led, culturally grounded solutions built for long-term climate resilience.
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Acerca de GreenLatinos
GreenLatinos (NOTA: GreenLatinos es UNA PALABRA) es una comunidad activa de líderes latinos, envalentonados por el poder y la sabiduría de nuestra cultura, unidos para exigir equidad y desmantelar el racismo, con recursos para ganar nuestras batallas ambientales, de conservación y de justicia climática, y motivados para asegurar nuestras políticas, Liberación económica, cultural y ambiental.
GreenLatinos (NOTA: GreenLatinos es UNA PALABRA) es una comunidad activa de líderes latines envalentonados por el poder y la sabiduría de nuestra cultura, unidos para exigir equidad y desmantelar el racismo, con recursos para ganar nuestra justicia ambiental, batallas de conservación y climáticas, e impulsados a asegurar nuestra liberación política, económica, cultural y ambiental.
