Geraldo Reyes Jr

I joined a group of Latino and Puerto Rican advocates, experts, and legislators to discuss the importance of tackling climate change. It is no mystery that black and brown communities are disproportionately affected by climate change from urban flooding to water and air pollution. Studies show minorities are more likely to suffer from asthma because they live in cities with poor air quality. Five of my eight sisters have asthma.

Click Here For Breakdown on Climate Change Affects on Hispanic & Latino Individuals

 

I was raised in the poor sections of Waterbury, and the riverbed had a different color depending on the pollution taking place on a particular day. Decades later, millions of gallons of raw sewage were still going in the water with little public notice. This has contributed to Waterbury ranking from the 87th to the 92nd national climate vulnerability percentile. 

I first ran for state representative to pass an updated Environmental Justice (EJ) law to protect Waterbury and other large cities. We finally succeed this past year, but I will continue to submit EJ bills each session with the hope of cleaning up our community and preventing polluters from causing more damage.
 
There are now 40 members of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, including 17 Latino legislators, fighting for justice and representing our great state in the House of Representatives. We know what it’s like to not be heard and that is why we are bringing our voice to the State Capitol. We are prioritizing Environmental Justice legislation because everyone deserves to live in clean, healthy, and sustainable communities.

Experts, my colleagues, and I advocate for Environmental Justice legislation.