In 2020, Cultivando, an Indigenous woman and Latine-led organization, launched Colorado’s first independent air monitoring program. This initiative also included a social and mental health impact study and a public health analysis, following years of community outcry against environmental contamination and its severe health impacts on children, families and the community. After presenting our findings, we were met with resistance, dismissal, gaslighting and inaction from those in charge of protecting human health. Harmful narratives about Cultivando and our community were presented, so we rewrote the narrative. Join us in learning how Cultivando continues to counter these narratives by leading from our Promotora Model. Our journey, showcased in our documentary, “Las Promotoras,” illustrates how you and your community can build sustainable leadership and highlights the transformation from merely believing in potential to knowing you are the leaders you have been waiting for.

Moderator: Tomas Gallegos, Program Officer, The Colorado Health Foundation

Panelists:

• Guadalupe Solis, Director of Environmental Justice Programs, Cultivando
• Rocio Franco, Associate Director, Cultivando
• Laura Martinez, Manager of Environmental Justice Programs, Cultivando