WASHINGTON— One hundred sixty one years ago on May 5, 1862 the outnumbered Mexican army–backed by México’s first Indigenous president, Benito Juarez, and a guerilla force–was victorious against the French Empire at la Batalla de Puebla. In the fight for México, the Battle of Puebla defended México’s land, water and cultures. Since the 1970s, the day of commemoration of la Batalla de Puebla has been appropriated, mocked, and diluted by marketers in the U.S. Today, a nation-wide effort to #TakeBackCinco is asserting that Cinco de Mayo is a reminder that defending public lands, the ocean, and cultural heritage is worth fighting for no matter the odds.
The national Latino-led environmental and conservation community, GreenLatinos, is calling for a national Cinco de Mayo Day of Action to reclaim the day from widespread cultural appropriation and misinformation. GreenLatinos has garnered more than 450 signatures and over 70 organizational endorsements on the Take Back Cinco de Mayo Declaration which aims to honor and enhance Cinco de Mayo as a day of action where we reaffirm our commitment to protect our public lands and ocean from those who seek to drill, mine, pollute and otherwise destroy our cultural heritage and communities.
Endorsing organizations of the Take Cinco de Mayo Declaration are:
GreenLatinos
Latino Outdoors
Americas for Conservation and the Arts
Defiende Nuestra Tierra
Somo El Poder
Sachamamá
HECHO
Latinas Represent
GRID Alternatives
Citizen's Climate Lobby
SGVCC
Hispanic Federation
MANA
NHMA
Green2.0
EcoMadres
William C. Velazquez Institute
Nuestra Tierra
FL Student Power
USHLI
HIP
Poder Latinx
HACU
IFHC
LUCITA
LULAC
Conservación ConCiencia
Chispa (LCV)
Latino Farmers & Ranchers international, Inc.
NAACE
LIDERAMOS
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation
Sea of Life Caribbean Inc
Women's March Santa Barbara
Maryland Latinos Unidos
Damon, Ver Merris, Boyko & Witte, PLC
Defenders of Wildlife/LatinoOutdoors-Austin
The Spokane Ecosocialist
Arizonas Children Association
Community of Mindful Living
The Last Plastic Straw
Western Watersheds Project
Latinos Action Team of Citizens' Climate Lobby
Friends of Toppenish Creek
CleanAirNow
LCLAA
Miami Freedom Project
Earth Ethics, Inc.
Luna Cultura
Build A Better Planet
Blue Dot Education
San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps
Frontera Appraisals, LLC
Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions
QLatinx
Animal Advocates
Outdoor Adventures+
o2 Utah
Mukuyu Collective, LCC
Monterey Bay Aquarium
National Wildlife Federation
San Jose State University
Valor Academy Middle School
CalEPA LGBTQIA2S+ Affinity Group
Cinco de Mayo in the U.S. is federally recognized as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The GreenLatinos community denounces the outsized role that the desecration of lands and waters plays in the national crisis of violence against Indigenous peoples.
The Cinco de Mayo Day of Action calls on people of all cultural backgrounds to celebrate their cultural heritage while taking action to defend land and water by participating in conservation efforts and #TakeBackCinco #TakeBack5 storytelling.
In response to the Cinco de Mayo Day of Action, the following organizations issue these statements:
“Our land is being stolen right out from under us. More than a football field-sized area of nature is destroyed every 30 seconds in the U.S.–this is a leading cause of climate disaster, the rapid decline of biodiversity, and nature deprivation, especially among low-income communities and communities of color. Our nation must look to the Batalla de Puebla for inspiration in surpassing our national climate goals, which include conserving 30% of land, ocean, and water in its natural state by 2030,” said Mark Magaña, Founding President and CEO of GreenLatinos
"We have a responsibility to build our comunidades’ cultural awareness of Cinco de Mayo. Let's continue our ancestor's fight for the protection and access to our lands, waters, and culture,” said Jazzari Taylor, Policy Advocate at Latino Outdoors.
“Sachamama is committed to protecting our natural resources and preserving our cultural heritage. We are proud to endorse the Take Back Cinco de Mayo Declaration. As Latinos and members of communities of color, we believe it is crucial to raise awareness about the importance of environmental conservation and social justice. We stand in solidarity with the efforts to protect our cultural legacy and communities from the harmful impacts of these activities. We encourage others to join us in this cause by signing the Take Back Cinco de Mayo Declaration and taking action to protect our public lands and oceans for current and future generations," said Johani Ponce, Media Engagement Manager at Sachamama.
“EcoMadres are proud to join GreenLatinos in reclaiming Cinco de Mayo as a day of action as we work towards equitable solutions that protect the health of Latino families from air pollution, climate change and toxic chemicals. Safeguarding the planet for future generations is a cherished value in Latino culture and this includes preserving historical significance of our efforts, our battles, and our commitment to protecting our public lands and waters. This designated day of action serves as a reminder for the need for people everywhere to fight for cultural preservation and environmental justice,” said Carolina Peña-Alarcón, Program Manager at EcoMadres
“Cinco de mayo has been co-opted as an American excuse for consumption. HIP is proud to join GreenLatinos in their call to Take Back the day—this call to action uplifts the intersections of our Mexican, Latinx, and Indigenous communities: the erasure of our histories, the outsize impact climate change is having on our communities, and especially the ancestral knowledge of the Indigenous communities in protecting and caring for the land,” said Jen Meehan, Director of Digital Strategy & Partnership at Hispanics in Philanthropy
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GreenLatinos (NOTE: GreenLatinos is ONE WORD) is an active comunidad of Latino/a/e leaders, emboldened by the power and wisdom of our culture, united to demand equity and dismantle racism, resourced to win our environmental, conservation, and climate justice battles, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation.
