To celebrate Earth Day, San Mateo County Libraries is thrilled to partner with the San Mateo County Pride Center, opens a new window and Office of Sustainability, opens a new window to present Queer Voices: A Panel on Intersectionality & the Environment. This lively discussion panel will explore the environmental sustainability movement and its relationship to the queer community. Panelists will also share resources for starting or continuing this work beyond Earth Day. Register to attend this virtual event on Tuesday, April 19 at 6:00 PM.
Panelists
Maya Salsedo (she/they): As a high school student, Maya attended a food justice internship where she learned about the corporate food system. It was a transformational experience, the first time Maya was able to make sense of the situation she found herself in: eating instant ramen served by a single parent who worked as a chef at a farm-to-table restaurant. Maya then became the first Youth Organizer for Rooted in Community National Network (RIC), earning the 2012 Brower Youth Award for her work on the Youth Food Bill of Rights. Maya continued organizing with RIC while studying Ethnic Studies and Political Legal Economic Analysis at Mills College. Maya worked as an educator with Planting Justice in 2014 and 2015.
Jiyeon Choi (they/them): Jiyeon is a transmasculine nonbinary Corean creative, passionate about intersecting art and community building through food. They joined Planting Justice in 2021 and found Planting Justice through doing mutual aid work in Los Angeles and connecting with farmers and land steward collectives in the Bay Area. When not farming, Jiyeon often seeks to find new joys as a form of healing, gathering in celebrations and leaning on the land to heal. They make sure to never forget to celebrate Summer Solstice by cooking over an open fire, making kimchi with their mom in the wintertime, and are currently getting their hands into clay, creating ceramic art.
For more on this topic, check out our list of resources below and be sure to attend our other Earth Day events.
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