I grew up on the south side of Minneapolis with the honor of having Ojibwe and Mexican ancestry. Going to the park and spending my free time within my community was a blessing. As time went on, I noticed the difference in the climate from the years before. I had to wear a jacket earlier in the year, and it started getting scorching hot out of nowhere. As I dipped my toes into the environmental organizing space, I started to understand and connect the dots on why our world is changing.

As I learned more and more about the disparities that were happening to our world regarding our climate and how that affects the most underrepresented communities in our world, I started to open my eyes to the intersectionality between our environment and the communities who are affected by the rapid and continuous change. This inspired me and gave me a reason to continue to educate myself on the climate crisis and how it is affecting my own communities.

Growing up on the south side of Minneapolis, I was exposed to a sense of community from a very early age.

Since then, having a sense of community and fostering relationships have been a passion of mine. Within my family, friends, school, and work, there are always opportunities to make connections and network. At powwows, family reunions on the reservation, and school events, I noticed that the sense of community was the strongest when it was surrounding our environment and making our home a better place. There was a sense of passion in the air for a more beautiful and sustainable home.

With my own ancestry tying into the Indigenous Ojibwe community, these climate disparities stuck with me. My ancestors carried themselves with the pride of having a deep and loving connection to the earth. They relied on the climate to grow their sacred medicines and understood the ways nature sways. By advocating and fighting for climate justice, I too am carrying myself with the pride my ancestors did.

Manny is a Climate Generation Window Into COP delegate for COP29. To learn more, we encourage you to meet the full delegation, support our delegates, and subscribe to the Window Into COP digest.

I am a Mexican and Ojibwe young adult that is passionate about my ancestry and the earth. I am a sophomore at the University of St.Thomas, just taking my generals to earn an associates degree. I have a twin sister and a five year old brother that I hold close to my heart. I have been working in the environmental/social justice field recently on a local level through the organization I work through, focusing on restorative infrastructure like pollinator and rain gardens, I am so excited and extremely lucky to be able to attend COP as a Climate Generation youth delegate.

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Ancestors’ Pride