Tucson Opinion: Why I support Lucy LiBosha for City Council | Local Editorials and Opinion

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One thing is certain: many people are disenfranchised. Especially colored communities that care about their environment, their food and water sources, but do not see their unique perspectives represented in the environmental movement. Representation counts. We need people who represent us in positions of power, who understand our perspective and who stand up for it.

Some examples already exist. The first Latina Mayor of Tucson has deliberately addressed climate change with the Climate Emergency Statement and Action Plan. Women of color in the leadership of the city, county, and Tucson Unified School District – and in volunteer positions such as the City’s Climate, Energy, and Sustainability Commission – give visibility to underrepresented communities.

They combine social and ecological issues, ensure that disenfranchised sections of the population have equal access to voting, address the needs of public transport and much more.

At the national level, the Ministry of the Interior is headed by an indigenous woman (Secretary Deb Haaland, Laguna Pueblo). Even the largest and oldest green organization in the country, the Sierra Club, is now led by colored people on its national staff and board of directors and addresses social justice as a fundamental value of the organization to protect the planet.

Tucson has the expertise and institutions to fight climate change. A far greater need is more diverse leadership that better understands the injustices of underserved, marginalized communities.

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