Across the United States, race is the most significant predictor of a person living near contaminated air, water, or soil. It is for this reason that Seattle’s Environmental Justice Fund was created in 2017 to support efforts that benefit and are led by, or in partnership with, those most affected by environmental and climate inequities: Black, Indigenous, People of Color, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, youth, and elders. The Environmental Justice Fund supports a wide variety of community-led projects that advance environmental justice and respond to the impacts of climate change. This spotlight is part of a story series highlighting some of the incredible work led by community groups and organizations supported by the Environmental Justice Fund.
The Community Health Workers Coalition for Migrants and Refugees (CHWCMR) serves refugees, people seeking asylum*, and farmworkers in Washington state. The coalition is dedicated to dismantling stereotypes about Latinx immigrants through uplifting the stories and histories of the people they serve. CHWCMR offers dozens of programs that support migrants and refugees as they navigate the complexities of life in the U.S., including educational programs that prepare and empower migrants and refugees in the face of racism and discrimination.
In June, CHWCMR visited the Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) at the Seattle Municipal Tower (SMT) in downtown with 14 youth program participants and their parents as part of their new climate change and environmental justice curriculum, funded by Seattle’s EJ Fund.
Last year, the coalition was received funding from the EJ Fund to develop a curriculum that puts Latinx youth at the center of solving the climate crisis through hands-on learning with community leaders. The curriculum aims to educate children of migrants and refugees on the everyday impacts of climate change with an environmental justice lens. CHWCMR hopes its youth cohorts will be the next generation of sustainability leaders.
Earlier this year at SMT, the kids participated in an air quality monitoring workshop to learn how to measure air quality, the impact of poor air, and its causes — such as traffic and wildfire smoke. The youth also collected indoor air quality measurements in SMT and compared them to the outdoor measurements.
“One thing that grabbed the youth’s attention was that part of the reason why the indoor air quality was different from the outdoor air quality was because of the filters that were installed in the building to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” said Mary Cruz, Lay Leader for CHWCMR.
CHWCMR connects their youth with Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) leaders in environmental justice. At SMT, participants met members of OSE’s Climate Justice team and learned about the team’s work, such as resilience hubs planning, workforce development, and Green New Deal implementation.
“We want to embolden Latinx youth and children of migrants to learn about and become leaders of environmental justice,” said Dr. Ileana Ponce-Gonzalez, the Founder and Executive Director of CHWCMR. “Through the EJ Fund, we’ve been able to do that and help their parents learn as well.”
One reason migrants may choose to leave their origin country — often in conjunction with many other factors — is regular exposure to environmental hazards. Yet, when they come to the U.S., many migrants obtain work in sectors that expose them to chemicals. Migrants are also often relocated to places that lack greenspaces and access to healthy foods, where they face heat waves, wildfire smoke, detrimental health effects, and more.
“The more Latinx folks know about the environmental hazards that affect them and are aware of the job opportunities in this field, the more they can make a difference,” said Dr. Ponce-Gonzalez.
*The terms “migrants,” “refugees,” and “asylums seekers” are often used interchangeably. However, each term has a distinctive meaning and legal implications. “Refugee” refers to a person who has been forced to leave their country to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. An “asylum seeker” is a person who has left their country of origin due to persecution and is awaiting legal recognition of asylum from another country. “Migrant” has no legal definition but represents someone who has left their country to find work or better living conditions, although the term is often used when referring to groups that also include refugees and asylum seekers.
About the Author
Jazzmin (she/her) is a Climate and Environmental Justice Intern at OSE. She is leading the Environmental Justice Fund Storytelling Series and is working to bring greater awareness to the critical environmental justice work happening in Seattle. Jazzmin is a recent graduate from the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington where her graduate research focused on community engagement, marine renewable energy, and environmental justice.