Irma believes, “anyone can be a leader,” even those who can’t read or write.
Irma and her fellow EHC leaders don’t put up walls around their communities – they open doors and pathways to leadership for everyone. With her infectious energy, Irma inspires her neighbors to get involved, raise their voices and make Barrio Logan a safe and healthy place for all people to live, work and play.
On April 20, please join us to honor Irma and her fellow visionaries at our awards celebration, Leaders United for Justice.
To Margarita, environmental justice means, “staying informed about what’s happening in our city,” and empowering her community to have a voice in the process.
Margarita lives in National City, where poor air quality threatens the health of children and families. She goes door-to-door with EHC to inform her neighbors about the toxics in the air they breathe and she encourages them to demand change.
To Roddy, environmental justice means, “everybody has an equal right to clean air.”
As a City Heights resident, Roddy refuses to stand by while his neighborhood suffers from poor transportation options and air pollution. He channeled his concerns into action at EHC’s SALTA leadership-training program and has been a powerful advocate for his community since.
At our annual awards celebration, Leaders United for Justice, we’ll celebrate leaders like Roddy, who work every day to make our communities healthier places to live, work and play.
If you attended our annual awards celebration, One People, Una Frontera, you met our very special guest speaker Sergio De La Torre, co-producer of the documentary film Maquilapolis. Since the event, we've received many inquiries about his film, which tells a compelling story and highlights important issues in border justice.
Maquilapolis resonates very strongly with us and our communities. EHC has worked in the border region on social and environmental justice issues for more than 20 years. We collaborated extensively with the Maquilapolis film crew more than ten years ago – we even had one of our Community Action Team leaders as a protagonist in the documentary: Lourdes Luján.
While the film was released ten years ago, the issues it addresses the ongoing and ultimately imporant environmental and social justice issues in our communities.
Please join us for EHC's first-ever screening of this eye-opening documentary on Wednesday, July 6, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park (2921 El Cajon Blvd, 92104).
With only 40 seats available, reserve yours today for a suggested contribution of $8. Click here to share the event on Facebook and invite your friends, and to learn more about Maquilapolis, click here.
On April 14, our Annual Awards Celebration, One People, Una Frontera, recognized the individuals and groups that have dedicated their lives to building a healthy, unified border region.
With a room full of people passionate about cross-border environmental justice, we celebrated One People, Una Frontera and EHC's 36th Anniversary with an uplifting night of inspiration, awards and friendship.
Elected officials and community leaders alike spent the evening celebrating the progress of our Border Environmental Justice Campaign and helping us award those spearheading cross-border efforts. These heroes include:
Spirit of Justice Award
These government agencies worked to confine more than 42-tons of lead-contaminated waste from a Tijuana battery plant. This award recognizes their leadership and steadfast commitment to the health and safety of our neighborhoods.
SEMARNAT
EPA Region 9
Speaker Emeritus Toni Atkins: As the leader of the California Assembly, Speaker Atkins received a perfect score for environmental justice bills in 2015. Her own bills created seats on the California Air Resources Board for environmental justice representatives and directed new resources from penalties to be directed to impacted communities.
Environmental Justice Champion Award
From producing powerful documentaries to ensuring healthy development practices on the Alamar River, these awardees display unparalleled professional effort and commitment to equitable, balanced development in cross-border communities.
The Rodriguez Griswold Family
Vicky Funari and Sergio De La Torre
Enrique Medina
Ana Elena Espinoza
Saúl Guzmán
Healthy Neighborhoods/Barrios Saludables Awards
These groups have offered opportunities for concerned Tijuana citizens to get involved in their communities. Their advocacy and organizing efforts have led to toxic site cleanups, preservation of declining natural space and a strengthened concept of environmental justice in the border region.
Consejo Consultivo Para el Desarrollo Sustentable
Tijuana Calidad de Vida
Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambiental
CICEA Papalotzin
Red de Ciudadanos para la Mejora de las Comunidades (RECIMEC)
Colectivo Chilpancingo
Jóvenes Pro Justica Ambiental
Neighborhood leaders: 28 adults and youth were recognized for their outstanding civic engagement in the struggle for healthy neighborhoods.
To everyone who attended, contributed and volunteered to make One People, Una Frontera a success, we can’t thank you enough. Because of your dedication, we are closer than ever before to creating a region where all people can live, work and play in a healthy and safe environment.
