Hi All,

Yesterday I had a great discussion with Roberto Borrero about his work in policy & program development and human rights advocacy, especially when it comes to the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and people of color. He’s worked with the United Nations for over 20 years, helping them navigate Sustainable Development; Climate Change; the Information Society; and the Organization of American States.

Roberto is one of the lead organizers for the upcoming Climate Justice Through Racial Justice March and Rally, scheduled for September 20th at 1pm, starting at Columbus Circle. When I asked him to explain the connection between racism and the climate crisis, he talked about how the poorest and most vulnerable communities are the places where landfills, incinerators, and toxic waste sites are located, and where food insecurity and chronic diseases are highest. These communities are most prone to the negative impact when a severe weather condition happens or a health crisis, such as the Covid 19 pandemic, due to their already compromised situation. Check out this essay, Racism is Killing the Planet. by Hop Hopkins. He says, “You can’t have climate change without sacrifice zones, and you can’t have sacrifice zones without disposable people, and you can’t have disposable people without racism.” We have seen this play out, and we need to all be a part of putting an end to it!

Roberto is also a published writer, an accomplished artist, and a musician. He is a member of the Taíno Tribal Nation, an Indigenous Peoples whose traditional homelands extend through the Greater Antilles to the Southern tip of Florida in the U.S.

If you missed our interview, you can listen to it here;

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