In this episode of the series Madre Tierra, Tatis Iolani interviews Araceli Hernández, program manager of Nature for All, about the benefits exploring nature can provide, environmental justice, the resources for minorities to visit national parks, and more.

By TATIS IOLANI
Photos by SONIA GURROLA
EL NUEVO SOL—Radio Nepantla

Tatis Iolani: Welcome to Radio Nepantla, a podcast from El Nuevo Sol, the multimedia site for the Spanish-language journalism program at California State University at Northridge. My name is Tatis Iolani.

The title of this series is “Madre Tierra” or “Mother Earth.” Our purpose is to highlight individuals who have a commitment to the environment.

Historically, the Latino community suffers more from the effects of air and water contamination. According to recent research, Latinos are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to the conditions that already exists in places they work or live in.

Who are the people active in environmental issues in your community? In this episode, learn the story of Araceli Hernández, who is the program manager of Nature For All. ­­­­­Through our discussion we spoke about the benefits exploring nature can provide, environmental justice, the resources for minorities to visit national parks, and more.

Tatis Iolani: Araceli shares Nature For All’s mission is to build a diverse base of support to ensure that everyone in the area has equitable access to the wide range of benefits nature provides, regardless of where they live.

Araceli Hernández: We do this by policies and programs that protect our local open spaces and nature, Create opportunities, bike paths or more open spaces and underserved communities and connect these communities to our open space currently.

Tatis Iolani: Araceli is from the San Fernando Valley and has always seen the mountains. This played an important role on why she wanted to become part of Nature For All.

Araceli Hernández:  It wasn’t until the age of 25 that somebody actually took me there. For me it was an issue of environmental justice or social justice, that many of our community members can only look at our mountains but cannot read the benefits that we do when we access nature.

Tatis Iolani: The benefits include improving mental, physical and overall well-being. Araceli expressed the mixed feelings when she finally stood on the mountains.

Araceli Hernández: Once I did get connected, I was both upset that I had never been there before but also really passionate about bringing as many people as I could to see and experience all the benefits of nature.

Tatis Iolani: Newer generations might not feel the same connection with nature because they might not consider spending the time. Environmental issues aren’t often spoken about which leads them to care so little.

Araceli Hernández: I think, no, I know we are nature. Every single one of us is not separate, but we are nature and so when I connect to nature, I feel like I’m returning home to somewhere to something. I feel grounded and I think that every person should experience that. It needs to experience some sort of grounding in their life. And so, when I think about many of the problems that we experience in LA and It makes sense that nature isn’t the overlying factor, like you don’t think nature is going to help me solve this problem because it might not, but it might make you feel better. It might make you think your thoughts through a little differently. It might make you understand the world differently just by going outside.

It can expand your world in many ways, and so I know it’s not the most pertinent thing on a lot of people’s mind. But then at the same time everything relates back to nature like everything goes back into the ground and so when we think more consciously, in that respect, I think things kind of start falling into place and we’re more mindful about our consumerism or more mindful of like our self-care and that kind of stuff.

Tatis Iolani: Not everyone sees eye-to-eye, therefore they miss how nature plays a big role in their life. It takes a small plant to take over and help improve your life.

Araceli Hernández: I really hope that people see that we are again that we aren’t separate from nature and that the more we are mindful of that, the more I think decisions that are being made, will be made like better for the long-term generation

Tatis Iolani: Different beliefs can lead others to see environmental justice only having to do with planet or animals but at the end of it all, it affects us all, but in what ways?

Araceli Hernández:  This is a big one ’cause you know I really do believe environmental justice is social justice that when we look at the communities that are also facing economic hardship, they are also facing like inequities or in access to nature. They are also the highest with diabetes rates and heart conditions. And so, there’s been stats that prove that — the factories, the environmental like degradation to the land, also goes to the people and those, like where they put those factories and those things are historically in communities of color and the people that consume the most are not those same communities so. Historically, communities have faced the brunt of these impacts of these environmental. Yeah, just like inequities and there’s this kind of saying right like not in my neighborhood, not in my backyard type of thing.

And so, this idea of it’s going to end up in someone’s backyard. And systemically, it’s always put in a community, either low income or a community of color, and so, environmental justice to me, is saying enough is enough and saying, matter of just move into a better community. It’s a matter of improving the ones that we have now.

Tatis Iolani:  There are plenty of ways we as a community can become involved, especially when it comes to protecting things that become crucial to the environment and everyday use for survival.

Araceli Hernández:  You know, honestly, there’s a lot of efforts going on in LA, and I think like there’s efforts going on in relations to water. There’s efforts in relations to park equity and there’s others in relation to accessing nature. So, I do want to encourage people to find. What it is that they’re most passionate about? There’s some about climate and climate crisis, and so there is going to be a group out there that’s probably doing this work. And it’s so important to find and connect with them. I know, like Stand LA, for example, is trying to do a no drill in neighborhoods like a buffer zone where Our Water LA is trying to become more water resilient ’cause right now really steals its water from 303 miles north. So I I recommend just finding what it is people are passionate about and then you will find a group that you can kind of connect with to do more and if it’s about access or park equity, or even just any type of advocacy they can check out nature for all at lanatureforall.org.

Tatis Iolani: If you want to become involved with Nature For All or any other environmental justice groups, having a passion is a priority.

Araceli Hernández: You have to come from the communities that we want to connect down. So, like disadvantage or underserved community. And yeah, you just have to have a passion and so we have both our leadership development program, which is more of a leadership ladder. You take classes at your own pace and really kind of get more informed on each topic. Or you can do the full-on Leadership Academy, which is like a six month training in depth program where you get funded to do a project. In your community after you graduate, so we don’t have age limits, although this is it is for like higher, maybe high school and up is what I would recommend to apply, but outside of that, as long as you’re one of the community members we’re looking to connect into nature where look our goal is to really diversify the environmental field.

Araceli Hernández: I think the biggest lesson that I want people to walk away with is to use their voice that we see this every day, right. We see a lack of green space; We see the oil like drilling areas. We see the smog. And I think that we often think, well, that’s just how it is and like, what can I do about it? And it’s been like that forever. But that’s not true, and like if anything, that’s the biggest lesson I learned is that we all have a voice. We all have a say and when we are at the table making our voice heard, we’re speaking up for ourselves or community. And for generations to come obviously.

Tatis Iolani: Thanks for listening to Radio Nepantla: “The voice that trespasses borders.” We invite you to listen to the rest of our series, “Madre Tierra.”

Listen to us on your favorite platform or visit us on our SoundCloud channel, El-Nuevo-Sol or our webpage – El-Nuevo-Sol-dot-net.

This was the production of “El Nuevo Sol,” the multimedia Project in Spanish for California State University Northridge.

Production and editing: Tatis Iolani.

Voice of Araceli Hernandez.

Music by E’s Jammy Jams.

See you next time!