A Brief But Spectacular take on giving climate activism a shot

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• Geoff Bennett:

  Kevin J. Patel is a climate activist from Los Angeles.

  After experiencing health issues due to poor air quality in his city, he founded an organization aimed at giving young people from underserved communities a chance to be change-makers. On this Earth Day, he gives his Brief But Spectacular take on giving climate activism a shot.

• Kevin J. Patel, Climate Activist:

  When I was younger, my parents told me the story of them leaving India.

  Both my parents had to come to America not only to seek better opportunities, but as climate migrants, because generations of my family are farmers. In India, with extreme droughts and extreme weather, it was not livable for farmers.

  Living in a community like South Central Los Angeles, you get to experience and see a lot of the injustices that occur in my community. One potent example is the lack of access to fresh food, non-GMO, organic vegan, or even healthier produce within the grocery stores.

  But what we have an abundance of is fast-food restaurants. And I really wanted to do something about it, because my father taught me the ways in which to grow our own food. And that really kind of sparked me teaching fellow peers about where their food comes from and speaking out against the issue of food injustice.

  When I was 12 years old, I was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat that was tied to the air and smog pollution that ravaged South Central Los Angeles. Understanding that air pollution and smog pollution not only impacted myself, but impacted my entire community, I was one of merely thousands and millions of people who were affected because they live in a certain area.

  OneUpAction started in 2019. I didn't see people who looked like me. So OneUpAction was really kind of founded in the light of putting marginalized voices at the forefront of not only decision-making tables, but also making sure that their voices, their ideas, their solutions are heard.

  When people tell me that climate change is inevitable, I always tell them that that's not true. We can still do something about this crisis. I'm very optimistic in the young people who are leading this fight. Everything makes a difference of making sure that we're working together to solve shared issues that are impacting all of us.

  The possibilities are endless when we do something.

  My name is Kevin J. Patel, and this is my Brief But Spectacular take on giving climate activism a shot.