From The Tropics to the Arctic Refuge: How I Learned that Alaska Natives’ Struggle Are My Own

By Elianne Ramos

“You’re writing about what? What can a Dominican woman possibly know about the Arctic Refuge?” Admittedly, my mom has no chill. She’s also always right.

I was born between the beaches and coral reefs in an idyllic tropical paradise better known as the Dominican Republic. I’ve never visited the Arctic Refuge. And though I consider myself an ally of the environmental movement, my focus has always been on how things like climate change affect the Latino community here on the mainland.

So what could I contribute by hosting a Twitter chat about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an area that I may never visit in my lifetime?

Recently, I was approached to do just that on behalf of We Are The Arctic, a coalition of African-American activists, Latino conservationists, Native leaders, faith communities, veterans and outdoor enthusiasts who are coming together to protect the Arctic Refuge.

The chat guests were Jose González from Latino Outdoors and Yanira Castro from Outdoor Afro, who had just returned from an Arctic expedition. Mark Magaña, founder of Green Latinos, Rue Mapp, founder of Outdoor Afro, and James Mills, founder of the Joy Trip Project, also joined in on the fun and shared stories about their Refuge expeditions.

When I accepted this challenge, I vowed to learn more about this geographically isolated area and why it is so important to help preserve it.

The first question in my head was — what can indigenous people in the coldest region of the U.S. possibly have in common with Latinos like me? It turns out that there are many parallels between theirs and our own culture, as I discovered through the stories shared by the chat’s participants.

Here are just a few things that unite us:

a) Like us, Alaska Natives’ livelihood is being threatened by environmental hazards beyond their control:

b) Like us, they want to protect the earth for the sake of their children

c) Like us, they understand the connection between their livelihood and the earth’s survival:

d) Like us, they struggle to get their voices heard:

Learning about the situation our brothers and sisters in the Arctic Refuge are facing reminded me of the need for solidarity across movements, even when we don’t see an apparent direct connection to our own. The commitment of tribes like the Gwich’in to fighting for the preservation of this beautiful and fragile natural habitat should inspire all of us to work on protecting the only home we have, our mother earth.

It’s reassuring to see the growing and diverse movement to support of our indigenous brothers and sisters in the Arctic Refuge. The experiences of Jose, Yanira, Rue, Mark and James in the Arctic Refuge helped put a human face to the daily fights for survival we would probably never hear about otherwise. Their voices and that of the Gwich’in should alert us to the global impacts of climate change. After all, we don’t live in isolation; environmental threats to any area of the world will undoubtedly have repercussions affecting all living beings, whether they come from the tropics, a metropolis or the frozen tundra.

The time to take action is now.

To join the movement to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, visit http://wearethearctic.org.