In response to the severe effects of climate change, particularly extreme heat, on Latino communities in Southern Arizona, the Justicia Juntos initiative launched at Sentinel Peak Park.
The new coalition was initiated by Tucson-based nonprofit Amistades with the help of a $166,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The effort gained support and partnership with the City of Tucson, Arizona Faith Network , Mi Familia En Accion and more.
“We came together today to talk about the importance of addressing heat and how it’s impacting the Latino community, what we can do together, how we can find solutions,” said President and CEO of Amistades. “And do it in a way that’s strategic and accessible for everyone in the community.”
The overall aim Justicia Juntos focuses on creating safe, climate-resilient spaces for vulnerable Latino communities, which have been shown to be disproportionally impacted by extreme heat .
“It’s the start of getting the community engaged around our climate resilience hub here in Tucson,” said Rebecca Rodriguez of the Hispanic Access Foundation, one of the partnering agencies.