We have a vision. We bring our voices to the polls to ensure that vision prevails, to resist oppression and to engage in the most powerful demonstration of our collective strength as communities of color.

Thank you for joining us on April 19 to celebrate our dedication to civic engagement and shifting the culture of voting at our 2018 Annual Awards Celebration: United to Vote.

We kicked off #UnitedToVote with an intimate conversation with Mustafa Santiago Ali, senior VP of the Hip Hop Caucus, former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) senior advisor for environmental justice and our environmental justice champion awardee.

Mustafa spoke about the necessity for action to achieve environmental justice and the power we have when we come together. He reminisced about his young days as environmental justice was just beginning to earn attention at the national level and how the movement has grown to become more important than ever. 

"Our vote translates into power, and sometimes we forget that," he told us.

Afterward we were joined by more than 400 of our allies in the environmental justice and civic engagement movement. With our incredible keynote speaker Senator Toni Atkins, President pro Tempore and San Diego City Councilwoman Georgette Gomez, we recognized our 2018 awardees:

• Mustafa Santiago Ali - Environmental Justice Champion Award
• Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher - Spirit of Justice Award
• National City Councilwoman Alejandra Sotelo-Solis - Spirit of Justice Award
• National City Councilwoman Mona Rios - Spirit of Justice Award
• California Environmental Justice Alliance - Building Power Award
• Engage San Diego - Building Power Award

Twitter buzzed with #UnitedToVote inspiration throughout the evening as our guests chronicled their favorite moments. 

It will take all of us to change the culture of voting. Thank you for helping us celebrate the trailblazers at the local, state and national level championing environmental justice and the right of all people to have a safe and healthy place to live work and play. 

See you next year!

Annual Awards Celebration
UNITED TO VOTE
Thursday, April 19, 2018 - 5:30-8:30PM at the Jacobs Center 

2018 – an election year like no other.
Let’s celebrate the power of voting and our vision of justice.

Join us and be inspired. For tickets click here. 

EVENT ATTENDEES - What to expect

Location: The Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation  - 404 Euclid Ave, 92115.  

For Directions click here 

SCHEDULE

5:30PM - Outdoor reception with live music, beer from Stone Brewery, organic CA wine from Quigley Fine Wines, and a delicious meditterranean dinner (self-serve vegetarian dinner from 5:30 - 6:50PM)

7:00PM - Program begins in Celebration Hall

8:00PM - Coffee and Dessert in Celebration Hall

8:30PM - End of event

Keynote: Senator Toni Atkins, President pro Tempore-designee

Guest Speaker & Awardee: Mustafa Santiago Ali, Senior VP, Hip Hop
Caucus; former EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice

AWARDEES

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher - Spirit of Justice Award

National City Councilwoman Alejandra Sotelo-Solis - Spirit of Justice Award

National City Councilwoman Mona Rios - Spirit of Justice Award

Mustafa Santiago Ali - Environmental Justice Champion Award

California Environmental Justice Alliance - Building Power Award

Engage San Diego -  Building Power Award

Awardee Information:  click here

Sponsorship Information: click here

For event or sponsorship questions, please email Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo. 

Passion is contagious. Don't miss our 2018 Awards Celebration: United to Vote with keynote speaker Senator Toni Atkins as we recognize the following environmental and social justice leaders.

With limited seating and a history of selling out, be sure to buy your tickets today. 

Mustafa Santiago Ali: Environmental Justice Champion Award

Ali has worked to alleviate the impact of air, water and industrial pollution on vulnerable communities across the nation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for 24 years. He was instrumental in developing the U.S. EPA Office of Environmental Justice and sent a strong message to the current administration upon his resignation in March 2017.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher: Spirit of Justice Award

As the first Latina in California history to chair the Assembly Appropriations Committee and the first woman and person of color elected CEO and Secretary-Treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, she has championed the needs of our community with state legislation that set national precedents. Her leadership has resulted in protection for children from lead in water at schools; supported women by combatting sexual assault; and fought climate change by expanding urban tree canopy. In 2017, she lead the passage of AB 805, that reforms SANDAG and enables transportation justice efforts to grow rapidly.

Councilwoman Ale Sotelo-Solis - Spirit of Justice Award

As Councilwoman of National City, her efforts have had enormous benefits, especially through her tireless work to ensure a historic Westside Specific Plan to protect both community health and business and her leadership that resulted in 201 new and affordable homes for National City residents. At the state level, her advocacy to gain adoption of California’s first environmental justice element requirement is unparalleled.

Councilwoman Mona Rios - Spirit of Justice Award

We applaud her lifetime work and to transportation justice as Councilwoman of National City. Rios’ tireless work to ensure passage of AB 805 is enabling transportation efforts to grow rapidly, particularly in transit-dependent communities. Her commitment as Vice Chair of Metropolitan Transit System is a momentous opportunity for a regional reset to transit and clean air, especially in the South Bay.

 California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA)  - Environmental Justice Champion Award

For their commitment to environmental and social justice in California has had enormous benefits to the San Diego-Tijuana border region. CEJA’s leadership is unsurpassed and has lifted the environmental justice movement to new heights to address climate change, air pollution, healthy neighborhoods, clean and accessible energy and so much more.

Engage San Diego - Building Power Award

Engage San Diego is a regional civic engagement network whose mission is to build power to win social and economic justice through integrated voter engagement and community organizing. Engage San Diego seeks to build a culture of voting and achieve equitable vote share across all demographics in San Diego County. Engage brings together local organizations with diverse issues, constituencies and organizing styles and provides them with the space and leadership for innovative and effective civic collaboration.

On October 19, EHC invites you to support community efforts preserving neighborhood character, reducing air pollution and combating displacement in Barrio Logan.

Please join us for the BarrioLive! Tour - our environmental justice tour of Barrio Logan.

Together, we'll explore the many victories and challenges in the community, including:

• The shutdown of Master Plating
• The creation of the Chicano community herb garden and mural
• The community plan update, and much more.

Can't make it to the tour? Join us at Border X Brewing from 5:30 - 7 p.m. to enjoy wine, beer and yummy vegetarian tacos for a suggested contribution of $10.

This is an intimate tour that few people get to experience. Please reserve your seat today by clicking here or contacting Giuliana at 619-773-2132 or Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo..

On April 20, our annual awards celebration, Leaders United for Justice, recognized the everyday advocates making our communities better places to live, work and play.

This year, we forgot the seated dinner party of the past. Instead, we treated guests to an evening of outdoor mingling, social media sharing, live music, inspiring photo displays and, most importantly, the stories of people leading our neighborhoods toward a healthier future.

Elected officials and community leaders spent the night celebrating the progress of our leadership development program, SALTA, and helping us award three icons of environmental justice.

• Keynote Speaker and Spirit of Justice Award: Dolores Huerta
  • As a civil rights activist and co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association, Huerta helped champion the rights of workers in agricultural fields. Her legendary work continues to empower communities to demand equality and social justice.
• Environmental Justice Champion Award: Georgette Gomez
  • San Diego City Councilwoman Georgette Gomez grew up in Barrio Logan, where environmental injustices shaped her future in advocacy. Prior to her election to City Council, Gomez served as EHC’s associate director for policy where she spearheaded the effort for a new community plan for Barrio Logan and fought for climate justice.
• Leadership Empowerment Award: Beatriz Barraza
  • Barraza was instrumental in developing the “promotora” model for peer-to-peer community health promotion, which EHC adopted for SALTA. Twenty years later, SALTA has trained more than 2,500 community members to become leaders for environmental justice in neighborhoods around the world.

Now that the lights have dimmed on a spectacular evening, we want to say thank you. Thank you to every guest who attended and shouted “sí se puede” with us in unison. Thank you to each sponsor for heartfelt dedication to growing leaders from the ground up. Thank you every person who now proudly wears "I am EJ" or "Yo Soy EJ" pins. Thank you to those who could not attend to the event, but still want to make a donation to continue this important work.

Want to relive the celebration? Us too. Visit us on Facebook to see more photos from the evening.

From our social justice awardees, our 2,500 SALTA graduates, our community members and our team at EHC – thank you and see you next year.

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.

On April 20 at Leaders United for Justice, we’ll introduce you to leaders like Margarita who embody community leadership. Purchase your tickets today.

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.

Will you join us on April 20? Click here to purchase your tickets today. 

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.

The celebration was highlighted by a video sharing the victories, challenges and vision for the future of the San Diego/Tijuana region.

Thank you to all of our generous sponsors, including our presenting sponsor, Pacifica Companies, for your support and leadership in merging two cultures into one unique way of life.

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.

View more photos from the event on Facebook.

Thank you, and see you next year.