π΅ Mondays with Morales: π₯ From Heatwaves to Harris: Tucson's Summer of Change
7/22/24: βοΈ Women's Rights on the Ballot: Arizona's Crucial Vote ποΈ Political Shockwaves: The Changing Face of the '24 Election ποΈ Urban Heat Islands: The Closing of Tucson's Vital Cooling Centers
Saludos once again, mi gente,
As we kick off another week here in the desert, I find myself reflecting on the wild ride that was the past few days. We're still picking up the pieces from last week's freak storm - the howling winds, the golf-ball-sized hail, and the swirling tornados that touched down in the heart of the city. It's like Mother Nature herself is rising up in revolt, screaming at us to pay attention to the havoc we're wreaking on the planet.
And amidst all this natural chaos, we're also grappling with a turbulent political landscape. The news of Biden's exit from the presidential race has sent shockwaves through the Democratic establishment, even as it's ignited a surge of excitement around the prospect of a Kamala Harris candidacy. The endorsements are rolling in, from progressive firebrand AOC to our very own Mark Kelly, rumored to be a top contender for the VP slot.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Kamala has a formidable foe, Donald Trump, who, despite (or perhaps because of) the recent attempt on his life, seems to be more emboldened than ever. He's even found himself a running mate in the form of JD Vance, the "Hillbilly Elegy" author turned conservative darling.
Vance has been making waves with his provocative (and historically inaccurate) claim that "America is a Nation." Ay dios mΓo. Anyone with even a cursory understanding of geography knows that America is a continent, not a country (remember a previous Republican VP pick called Africa a nation).
And anyone with an ounce of respect for the Indigenous peoples of this land knows that before it was "America," before it was the United States, it was Turtle Island. However, respect and historical accuracy seem to be in short supply in Vance's worldview, as evidenced by his dismissal of Indigenous People's Day as a "fake holiday."
It's this kind of blatant disregard for the truth, for the lived experiences and legitimate grievances of marginalized communities, that makes the stakes of this election so high. If Kamala wants to not just win but govern with a mandate, she's got to go bold. She's got to speak directly to the issues that matter most to the people - and right now, there's no issue more pressing than the right to bodily autonomy.
The overturning of Roe v. Wade has galvanized women and allies across the country, as we saw with the resounding victory for abortion rights in deep-red Kansas. Here in Arizona, we've got our own chance to make our voices heard this November with a ballot initiative that would enshrine reproductive freedom in our state constitution.
Suppose Kamala can tap into this grassroots energy and mobilize the same coalition of women, people of color, and young voters that almost carried Hillary Clinton to victory in 2016 (she got 3 million more votes than Trump).
In that case, she's got a real path to the White House. But it won't be easy. As we saw with the recent debacle at Pima Community College, where a supremely qualified Latina candidate was passed over in favor of a less experienced white man, the forces of patriarchy and white supremacy are alive and well, even in supposedly progressive institutions, and the White House, built by slaves, is not a progressive institution. If nothing is done to change the status quo, white supremacy and patriarchy continue.
ΒΏTe acuerdas when la gente used to say "The personal is political?" Well, I'd argue that in 2024, the political is also planetary. We can't separate the struggle for social justice and political representation from the fight for climate justice and a livable future on this earth.
Just look at what's happening right here in Tucson. We're breaking heat records left and right, with temperatures soaring well above 110 degrees. The city and county cooling centers like the Joel Valdez Main Library downtown have become quite literally a lifeline for so many of our unsheltered neighbors. But now we're hearing that this vital public space, this oasis in the scorching urban desert, is set to close down later this year.
Es una tragedia, mi gente. Where will people go to escape the unrelenting sun? Where will they charge their phones, access a restroom, read a magazine or book, look for resources online, and connect with a friendly face? At libraries and cooling centers people can get sunscreen and refillable water bottles and a refuge from the scorching sun. In a city where heat deaths are already a public health crisis, shutting down any critical cooling center may lead to catastrophe.
Let's be clear: this crisis will only worsen as the planet continues to warm. We're trapped in a feedback loop of escalating temperatures and increased AC usage, burning more fossil fuels to cool our homes even as those fossil fuels drive global temperatures ever higher. It's unsustainable and unjust because we know that it's the poor and marginalized who will suffer first and worst from the effects of climate breakdown.
That's why we need transformative action at every level, from the grassroots to the halls of power.
We need a Green New Deal to rapidly transition us away from dirty energy and towards a regenerative economy.
We need massive investments in resilient infrastructure, green affordable housing, public transportation, and community cooling centers.
\We also need leaders who are willing to challenge the fossil fuel industry and fight for a just and stable climate future.
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Leaders like Mexico's newly elected president, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum, a trailblazing woman of color with a Ph.D. in Physics who studied climate science, give me hope that a different way is possibleβthat we can build a world where people and the planet are put before profits.
But it's going to take all of us, mi gente. It's going to take a movement. So, as the election season heats up (both figuratively and literally), let's stay engaged and stay focused. Let's look out for each other and build community resilience. Let's support candidates and policies that will move us toward a more just and sustainable future.
And most of all, let's remember that we are powerful beyond measure when we come together and fight for what's right.
Β‘Hasta la victoria, siempre!
En solidaridad, Morales