Join Candida Garcia and march for climate, justice and jobs at the Peoples Climate March 

*This article originally ran in Spanish in El Tiempo Latino on April 26, 2017

Candida Garcia, an activist and Chispa Maryland volunteer, is working to advance climate policies from her town of Hyattsville in Prince George’s County. As a married mother of four and a leader in the fight for the rights of her communidad, she works to rally others to inspire change.

Candida was born in Honduras and came to the United States 12 years ago. Like many immigrants with dreams and goals for a better future, she has dedicated herself to work that not only advances others’ quality of life, but work that impacts health and justice.

Candida graduated as a Chispa Maryland Promotora last year, the highest level of volunteer in our program. Along with 13 others, she focused her volunteer hours on human and constitutional rights, as they relate to local and national environmental concerns.

Part of protecting the Earth she loves includes sharing why environmental issues are so critical to solve. She connects pollution to health problems and talks with parents in her neighborhood to grow awareness of the environmental challenges that personally affect them and how to work for solutions. That’s also the push behind the recently launched Clean Buses for Healthy Niños campaign.

“Every day we are connected to the environment. We breathe in the air. Here, we are surrounded by an environment that is contaminated. We live on a planet that we have to fight for and protect and take care of,” she said.

Candida, along with other members of her community, will march at the Peoples Climate March on April 29 in Washington, D.C.

“I would like to see an environment that is healthier. I would like to see changes in my community; we need clean air to breathe.”

That’s why she’s marching.

Join Candida Garcia and march for climate, justice and jobs at the Peoples Climate March. www.peoplesclimate.org.

Chispa Maryland is a community organizing program of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters in coordination with the League of Conservation Voters’ Chispa program. We build the capacity of Latino families to influence policy makers and pressure polluters to protect communities’ rights to clean air and water, healthy neighborhoods and a safe climate for generations to come. Find out more at www.lcv.org/chispa or follow us @ChispaLcv and @ChispaMaryland on Twitter and use the hashtag #CleanRide4Kids