Energy ran high as the sounds of the tambores and chants echoed through the streets that were filled with organizers and volunteers rushing to distribute posters and stickers, and collect the signatures and stories of the movers and shakers of the right side of history. I was among those that had the privilege to listen to the stories of the many social justice and climate justice lideres y activistas that flooded the calles of Washington D.C., taking their chants from the Capitol, to the White House and ending with a rally at the Washington Monument.

As a Latina immigrant, I felt empowered to march por mi comunidad, the one that suffers the direct impact of our poor calidad de agua, aire, y salud. Me siento orgullosa to be a part of the movement that sheds light to human rights violation that is to allow communities of color and Native American communities to get sick as a result of the exposure to contaminated air and water. I stood there in awe watching the endless number of gente marching and my heart felt overjoyed to see that real people, miles y miles de ellos, shared my same passion for climate justice.

I was able to take my passion to the hill to express my concern for my community and share mi historia y la historia de los activistas and volunteers of CHISPA NV, a program of the League of Conservation Voters. I shared what it is like to be an organizer in Las Vegas and how the issue of environmental justice intersects with inmigración, educación, y salud. I take home with me the energía compartida by the beautiful gente that marched with me for the Peoples Climate Movement.