Nora Estrada | Kiosko News
21 years ago, Earth Women made their way into this smog-suffocated city to inspire women to care for and lead the healing of Mother Earth.
To achieve the goal and succeed, the founder of the organization, Irma Muñoz, considered taking as reference the culture and traditions of the vulnerable communities they serve, mainly Latino.
“But most of all, what we do is listen to the neighbors because only they are the ones who know what they need and want in a park,” said the activist, who was part of the Bill Clinton administration.
The Women of the Earth project, a community-based nonprofit dedicated to environmental justice, has a distinction of being the first 501(c)(3) environmental organization founded and led by Latina women that focuses on the healing of Mother Earth in Southern California.
Women of the Earth is the first Latino environmental group to start across the United States.
Muñoz is one of five women featured in a book by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum fighting for the Environment and Justice.
“They have recognized us for our work,” he said.
The activist also has the satisfaction of achieving the rehabilitation of the Juntos Family park and the La Esquinita recreational area.
Women of the Earth, founded in 2004, is proud of the impact at the local, state and national levels that it has through the culturally relevant values and programs that have earned them the recognition of the Anacostia Museum, the City of Los Angeles and other surrounding communities.
“We work to build grassroots leadership and community capacity among historically marginalized communities, especially those of low-income, immigrant and communities of color,” said Muñoz, founder of the project.
She added that Women of the Earth firmly believes in the power of the individual and that community action and social change begin with one person’s commitment to act, inspire, mobilize, and lead.
“When we started the project, we knew that to achieve success, and I repeat, it’s essential to first listen to the community, to the housewives, grandparents, children, and organizations,” she said.
The participatory efforts they rely on, she added, involve providing empowerment tools using facts, data, and science with culturally relevant tools and platforms.
The activist emphasized that thanks to partnerships with Los Angeles County officials, non-profit organizations, and local stakeholders, they can provide immediate care and improvements to local parks.
“This is while also providing a space for residents to build community,” she commented. “We love all outdoor spaces, including our parks.”
Juntos Family Park was a green space that they rehabilitated thanks to a $500,000 contribution from the Bezos Foundation.
“We are very grateful to Bezos for their contribution. You can see the park now, with new facilities, and it’s safe, because before it was full of gangs. Now entire families enjoy it, knowing that it’s a safe area.
“We hope to continue working with the Bezos Foundation because we want to continue working on creating or rehabilitating parks,” she added. “I believe that if stakeholders are involved in a project, such as neighbors, organizations, and foundations, we can move forward.”
Mujeres de la Tierra organizes restoration and beautification projects, telenovela screenings in the park, the Community Leadership Circle, and a Day of the Dead celebration, among other activities.
Muñoz said that the Martin Luther King Jr. and César Chávez Day of Service honors the vision of these community leaders and embraces the responsibility of caring for Mother Earth.
“In honor of these civil rights leaders, we coordinated a day of restoration, beautification, and education in the local neighborhood. We provide immediate care and improvements to local parks, while also providing a space for residents to strengthen the community,” she commented.
Muñoz also highlighted another program that has been very well received and provides education through exaggerated performances, family-friendly humor, and Spanglish dialogue: Telenovelas in the Park.
“This project is a community theater company that uses the traditional telenovela format to present key messages about the California drought, water conservation, and the impacts of plastic pollution.
“It’s based on our Agua es Vida/Water is Life campaign, with the goal of educating and informing families about the severity of the drought, the importance of water conservation, and other ways to heal and care for Mother Earth,” she added.
Muñoz said the organization educates about proper waste disposal and recycling with two puppets, one adult and one baby, that represent the devil, inspired by the Latin American tradition of burning the devil effigy.
“To educate about the importance of separating plastic waste, we created a puppet made of plastic bottles and bags called Basurita (Little Trash),” she said, pointing to the puppet she held on her lap. “This little puppet is the trash devil, and it has a mirror on its front that reflects a person who doesn’t recycle.”
She said that when people ask her about the mirror, she replies, “Maybe you are the demon of the city because it doesn’t rain garbage; we ourselves are the ones who throw trash where it doesn’t belong and don’t separate plastics, bottles, and bags.”
But at the same time, she added, the organization doesn’t judge or criticize the communities, but rather educates them using their traditions and in a fun way.
“The message is cultural; Latinos will understand it. What we do is focus on culture to inform, inspire, and educate—that’s what characterizes us,” she said.
Muñoz said that another program is the Community Leadership Circle.
“The idea of launching the Leadership Circle arose in the summer of 2017, when community members expressed their desire to become leaders in their communities but didn’t know where to start,” she commented.
The activist explained that the Leadership Circle is a series of conferences, talks, and meetings to discuss the various facets of leadership.
“One of Mujeres de la Tierra’s key objectives is to inspire leadership and ownership of local issues through capacity building, training, and inspiration,” she noted.
Mujeres de la Tierra also holds an annual Day of the Dead celebration and art installation.
“It’s a joyful and reflective annual celebration observed in Mexico and Central American countries, creating a space for family members to commemorate their ancestors in a way different from U.S. customs.”
To learn about the impact that Mujeres de la Tierra (Women of the Earth) has on the community of Juntos Family Park, located in the Glassell Park area of Los Angeles, Kiosko News randomly interviewed several residents who said they were very grateful and happy with the work of the organization led by Irma Muñoz.
We even met young Andrew Ancheta in the playground, who told us that he knows the organization very well because he has been a volunteer for three years and that he learned to recycle and plant flowers and trees with them.
“This park makes me very happy. I come several times a week with my grandma, friends, and cousins. We have a lot of fun because now it’s more beautiful and everything is new,” said the 10-year-old boy.
Andrew surprised us by sharing that thanks to Mujeres de la Tierra, Juntos Family Park is now safe and free of gang members and drunkards.
“The people at Mujeres de la Tierra are very hardworking; they fight to ensure that children like me have places to have fun. I’ve learned many things from them, like how to plant in gardens and separate trash so we don’t pollute the planet so much.
“They helped turn this park into something beautiful,” he added.
Andrew has also volunteered in Mujeres de la Tierra’s most recent project, La Esquinita, a recreation and meditation area located within the LA River Center and Gardens property, between 26th Avenue and San Fernando Road in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Andrew’s grandmother, Virginia Martínez, whom we found socializing with her friends, said that her grandson is a child interested in social work thanks to the organization founded by Muñoz.
“Mujeres de la Tierra helps awaken children’s interest in nature,” she commented. “We are very happy with the work they do.”
Leticia Jiménez said that she and her friends go to the park to socialize, pray, and play bingo while watching their children play.
“This turned out very nicely, and the benches are always clean,” she commented. “We believe in Mujeres de la Tierra because when an organization makes a promise, works on a project, completes it, and it bears fruit, that’s credible to me. Ms. Irma knows how to treat the community,” Jiménez said.
Juan José Torres, 53, said that Mujeres de la Tierra’s achievement with Juntos Family Park is priceless because, thanks to their work, they managed to eliminate the gangs and reclaim the park for the community.
“I’ve lived around here for almost 21 years, and I noticed that before there were shootings, and even deaths; once a police officer was killed. There was a lot of vandalism, drugs everywhere, and thanks to the work of this organization, all of that disappeared, and now we enjoy this park very much,” the resident said.
Ménica Carrillo commented that the park means a lot to her in particular because she joined the Mujeres de la Tierra group to help transform it.
“The Women of the Earth group were the driving force behind the renovation of this park. They secured the funding and delivered on their promises to the residents by installing what we requested, such as new playground equipment, exercise machines, grills, tables, benches, shade structures, and restrooms, and by replacing the toxic plants with native ones.
“No authority had listened to us before,” she added. “Ms. Irma was always selflessly supporting the community. She didn’t come to give orders to anyone, but to help us make our voices heard.”
Carrillo said that at her age, 62, the green spaces are an extension of their cramped apartments because they provide a space for organizing gatherings and parties.
“My whole family comes here, and we have parties or events with our neighbors,” she said. “People from churches also come and hold raffles every weekend, like the raffle where I won a microwave.”
This story was produced by American Community Media in collaboration with the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies (LENS) at UCLA as part of the Greening American Cities initiative supported by the Bezos Earth Fund. Read more stories like this by visiting the Greening Communities homepage.
