This past week, The Marjorie — the thought-provoking website that describes itself as “a woman-owned reporting nonprofit that promotes a greater understanding of issues related to women and the environment in Florida” — published the latest contributions to its ongoing series of guest essays titled “Dispatches from a Sinking State”. And among the latest contributors to the must-read series was none other than the CIW’s own Lupe Gonzalo!
The initiative – its objective underscored by the cheeky tagline of “reclaiming #FloridaWoman” – aims to highlight the wide-ranging experiences and insights of Florida women vis a vis the natural world and the swiftly-changing climate. In The Marjorie’s own words:
Some of the biggest misconceptions about climate change are that it will impact somewhere far away from us, affect someone else, or happen at some point in the future. Yet we know this isn’t true: climate change is manifesting here, now, in our own communities.
In our newest contributions to our Dispatches from a Sinking State series, six Florida women pull back the curtain on environmental changes in their corners of the state. These stories are all guided by care for our wild spaces, concern for the survival of our communities, and a vision of our ecological futures — all of which hang in a delicate balance.
Today, we’re sharing Lupe’s vivid, compelling reflection with you. Her writing brings to life the everyday experiences of the women and men who harvest our fruits and vegetables in Florida’s fields; the dangers unique to farmworkers’ experience doing heavy, demanding labor on a warming planet; and the critical importance of building collective resilience – through community-driven efforts like the Fair Food Program – into the country’s most marginalized communities.
