In this interview, André Sanchez offers a firsthand account of his powerful journey in connecting to Latino Outdoors and with nature. Join us in celebrating the past ten years of Latino Outdoors through the eyes of one of its leaders, André Sanchez.
Please note that this interview has been thoughtfully edited for clarity and conciseness, ensuring a comprehensive yet succinct representation tailored to fit into this blog.
Latino Outdoors (LO): Let’s get into it! To kick off, can you share a bit about yourself, including your name, background, and perhaps a glimpse into your heritage?
André: I’m André Sanchez, I’m a first-generation Mexican American, born and raised in Madera, California, in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. While my family has ties to la Ciudad de Mexico as that’s where my mother and her siblings were born and raised before migrating, we have roots in Oaxaca. My grandparents are originally from Villa Alta en la Sierra Norte region. Growing up, I embraced my Mexican heritage and an Indigenous perspective, though I didn’t necessarily know that’s what it was rooted in and simply viewed it as my grandmother’s and family’s teachings.
Way back when it was still referred to as D.F., my abuela, mother, and two of my uncles migrated from the growing city to the San Joaquin Valley and became migrant laborers. My grandmother was the first one to come over to the US. I don’t even know the year, honestly, but then my mother and my uncles came over. Despite the challenges, their hard work and resilience paved the way for new opportunities, transforming them into educators and public health professionals, and just overall loving community members. They instilled in me a deep sense of ethics and morality, shaping the person I am today. I’m just grateful that I come from the background that I do with my rich Mexican Chilango & Oaxacan heritage and the legacy of resilient migrant laborers.
“it just amazed me to see the waterfalls for the first time”
André Sanchez
Park ranger André in Ahwahnee, summer 2015
André during his first backpacking trip, summer 2011
LO: Do you remember early experiences in nature, in the outdoors?
André: One experience that has resonated with me throughout my life is the first time I visited Yosemite Valley, or Ahwahnee as I’ve learned local Native communities call it. I was around seven years old, when my late uncle (Azael) took, me, my grandmother (Esther) and my two older siblings (Jose & Natalie) to receive the beauty and medicine that the park had to offer. Seeing the waterfalls for the first time and just being there among the granite monoliths, not really knowing how I would eventually relate to the experience and memory, but just knowing that I really just loved it and enjoyed it at that moment.
André’s Tio Azael
André’s abuela Esther
On another note of early experience with nature, some of my formative youth involved fishing, a shared activity that brought together my brother Jose, his friends, some family friends, and me. I learned a lot through these experiences since we were a mix of ages, with me being the youngest in what became our recurring group. We would go out fishing in different places in and around the San Joaquin Valley. So we would frequent the rivers, sloughs, lakes, what have you, and having to learn the elements of fishing definitely left a mark on me because it made me realize you’re going to have to be patient. Nature is serene. You’re going to have to sit here and just take it in. And I think I generally did learn that to a high degree, but obviously still wanting to do more outside kind of lingered within me.
LO: Was there someone in your life that played a large role in your love of nature, someone as a child or later in life that really set you down this journey towards conservation?
André: A key figure in shaping my profound connection with nature is undoubtedly my late uncle Azael, the same individual who introduced me and my family to Yosemite and various other outdoor experiences. Not only did he facilitate our trips to Yosemite but also took us to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the serene lakes and forests of the Sierra Nevada. And mind you, he wasn’t necessarily a conservation nature person in that context, but he just got exposed to it through some of his opportunities, and he wanted to share that with us because he knew it was an amazing experience for him. But, yeah, I would say him because he took me to several different places that I don’t think I would have ever known about or experienced otherwise.
“Having to learn the elements of fishing definitely left a mark on me because it made me realize you’re going to have to be patient. Nature is serene. You’re going to have to sit here and just take it in.”
André Sanchez
LO:You’ve been part of Latino Outdoors for a few years now. You’ve also grown in the conservation field. You in particular. It’s your career. As we look back on the last ten years, can you tell us a little bit about the growth you’ve seen in Latino outdoors and then the growth you’ve seen in the world of conservation, and then the growth that you’ve seen in yourself?
André: My official journey with Latino Outdoors (LO) began in 2017 as a volunteer, but my awareness and connection with the organization extends further back. Over this time, I’ve witnessed profound changes within LO. The most noticeable transformation has been its exponential growth—expanding volunteer bases, increased public support, and a growing staff that now includes dedicated advocacy and policy roles. It’s just amazing to see that LO is ever-growing and changing. At the same, still being very rooted in what the intention of LO was created for, which is like culturally relevant exposure to nature, if you will, or building community that is going to eventually experience nature in some way, shape or form. And just like acknowledging that we are a community and all these different gente just want to be outside and that we have a right to be outside.
I would say the addition of the advocacy position has been particularly significant for me, as it aligns with my professional role. That growth runs parallel with LO in that sense because I was trying to figure out how I could continue to be a working professional and also do my personal decolonization without me knowing what exactly that meant or looked like. What it was or what it was becoming at the time with what LO was trying to achieve, ultimately, which is, we’re going to try to just get people outside in whatever way, shape, or form we can, and we’re going to meet them where we’re at. And the point of this is that we’re trying to build community. We’re trying to get our community to be comfortable, to be outside, and trying to get them to understand that these places are for them. And we’re trying to do it in a safe, culturally competent, and relevant manner. And essentially translating that lens to my work is what I’ve tried to do ever since I’ve been wearing these multiple hats.
“What LO was trying to achieve, ultimately, which is, we’re going to try to just get people outside in whatever way, shape, or form we can, and we’re going to meet them where we’re at.”
André Sanchez
LO: As we wrap up our conversation, André, reflecting on your journey from a super volunteer to now serving as a board member, your unique perspective provides invaluable insights. Looking ahead, considering the tremendous growth and impact of Latino Outdoors over the past decade, what is your vision for the organization in the next ten years? How do you see LO evolving, and what goals do you aspire to achieve in this next phase of its journey?
André: What I’m really hoping continues to happen and what my vision would be for LO as the community continues to grow for the next “X” number of years and decades, is that we continue to create opportunities because there’s a lot of ground to cover and there’s a lot of people that we haven’t tapped into yet and there’s a lot of community to build and a lot of leaders that are emerging and that should emerge. If you look at the map that we have of the different regions throughout the country, there’s still a lot of places that we’re not covering yet. I’m hoping we continue to build towards covering more space on the map.
André volunteers with Latino Outdoors as both a Program Coordinator and Advisory Board member.As the Latino Outdoors Program Coordinator for Fresno, André works towards inspiring others about the importance of protecting natural resources by sharing his knowledge of rivers, wildlife, and the different environmental services they provide for people, including clean water, clean air, and respite from everyday life. As a member of the Board, he hopes to further this effort and expand his support of LO’s mission.
Graciela Cabello is a board member for Wilderness Youth Project and Director of Youth and Community Engagement with Los Padres ForestWatch where she runs the Outdoor Connections program. Graciela was born and raised on the Central Coast of California where she currently lives and supports LatinX communities via her work.
As an early career Afro-Latina marine biologist simultaneously entering and mentoring BIPOC individuals in green careers, I find it essential to look to our community leaders on how to ensure green careers are viable options for my community.
While working with the Wilderness Youth Project (WYP) this Summer, I had the opportunity to reconnect with WYP Board Member, Graciela Cabello, one of our prominent community leaders in Santa Barbara, CA. In this interview, we delved deeper into the complexities of navigating a green career in outdoor access. We also discussed our passions on increasing LatinX community access to outdoor spaces. In this interview, Graciela shares her history with organizing for Latino Conservation Week (LCW) and many pivotal moments along her journey. Read more for our conversation below!
This is the transcript of segments of a conversation held on August 2, 2023 between Dr. Xochitl Clare and Graciela Cabello. Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity and accuracy.
Interview Transcript:
“Tell me about your current job”
“I wear many hats at [ForestWatch]. My role is constantly changing and I’m constantly doing different things. Aside from our core work of advocating to protect the forest, the one thing that is consistent is that I help connect youth and families to the forest and public lands. What that translates to, is doing outings: like hikes, walks, even rock climbing, you know, a lot of different outdoors things. But that also means I get to use many different mediums to connect people. And so that can be like: doing presentations at schools or hosting webinars. It also means that I get to be really involved in some of the communications, and film that support this movement.”
“It’s LO’s 10 year anniversary celebration and birthday! How did you initially become involved with LO and in bringing Latino Conservation Week (LCW) to your community?”
“It was Latino Conservation Week that led me to where I am right now in the outdoor access space. In the summer of 2014, I was looking for organizations to volunteer for, and I saw a flier for Latino Outdoors’ outing for Latino Conservation Week (LCW) [in the Bay Area]. I reached out to the founder, Jose Gonzalez, and was quickly connected with the work after that.”
“After volunteering for almost a year during the Latino Outdoors startup phase, the founder offered me a position as the national director (and first official employee). I got to be part of the building of LCW events during the first years. So, when I started doing work in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, it was, just, already part of me. I had been inspired by all the community leaders across the country, and I kept seeing the incredible momentum that goes into [LCW].”
“July became Latino Conservation Conservation Week month for me. And during the COVID-19 shutdown, we were limited in what we could do. So we did presentations, Instagram live sessions, webinars. [When] we were allowed to go back outside, we did a huge camp out for people and that was super amazing. So it just changes every year.”
“Has this work been healing in any way? How so?”
Graciela Cabello: “Absolutely! I just feel so much closer to my ancestors when I do this type of work. I come from a long lineage of people that were really connected to the land. So when I am able to reconnect my community to nature, and to land, it sort of makes me feel closer to my ancestors and then to my own parents. Supporting youth experiences in nature is a really healing thing and it makes me feel really, really, aligned with who I am and where I’m going. So, I mean, I’ve had tons of moments where, you know, like, these healing moments where [I’ve felt] messages of ‘this is where you’re supposed to be’”
“Recently, we hosted a campout where a family from Oaxaca, Mexico joined us. This region of Mexico is known for having one of the highest indigenous populations. Coincidentally some of my family is from Oaxaca, and so, in some ways, I saw my family in them. It was beautiful to see how the grandmother, who was approximately seventy years old, and had just flown in from Mexico the night before, was also able to attend. I was worried that some of the walking on trails and the river bed would be hard for her, but it turns out the opposite was true. Being in that environment was very natural to her. She ended up ahead of the group moving very comfortably because she’s used to that type of environment back home. What made the occasion extra special was that this was the first time she was seeing her daughter and family since before the pandemic. So for them to connect as a family out in the natural world as they would back home, and for me to be able to help provide this bonding experience for them by the river–was a really healing experience. I thought of my own grandmother and all the similarities we share with that family.”
“For those trying to carve their paths in the outdoor non-profit space: What’s it like to serve on a board for a non-profit organization? How can early-career folks support non-profits in this way?”
Graciela Cabello: “Every [non-profit] board is different and [has] different stages. Some of them are in a startup phase or in like a working phase, and some of them are already pretty established. They all have sort of different roles for board members. [As a Wilderness Youth Project (WYP) board member], we meet once a month for about nine months out of the year, we have very specific board duties.”
“I would just encourage you to figure out what’s important to you and your community. What are some of the changes you want to see, and what are some ways you can get involved with nonprofits that interest you before joining their board? [While] volunteering isn’t always an option for [getting involved with] every organization, serving on a board is a different type of “volunteer work”. I really enjoy it because [WYP] aligns with my values and I’m supporting my community in a way that works towards the hope I have for the future – which is envisioning a world where all children have access to nature. And when you’re ready to join a board, familiarizing yourself with some of the main duties of a board can be helpful.”
“Are green jobs viable for BIPOC persons with financial challenges or concerns? Did you have fears about this when you started out? How did you overcome them?”
Graciela Cabello: “I absolutely had fears.I [worked] for a big, like, major corporation for a while and when I switched careers, I had to take a huge pay cut. I realized that a lot of the folks that go into green careers come from a background that has afforded them to work in this space. Many had incredible, [but low-paying or no-pay], internships during the Summer because [they] could afford to do that. Or they could afford to take a low paying job in their first years out of college and then grow into a better paying position. But I feel like there’s a lot of people that can’t do that. [In my past work in business marketing], I had made it into a certain pay range. So when I did not see [that same] pay range for an environmental education job, it was really concerning.”
Graciela Cabello: “Having been in this field for some time now, what I’ve learned is that many folks carve out their own path. Which is not something you see in other sectors. I’m amazed by the number of folks who are self-employed and doing pretty well. So [it’s important to find] a way to monetize your skills and your knowledge so it doesn’t have to come from an organization. You can basically create and build anything and get paid for it as long as you know how to communicate the importance of your idea[s]. Find the right place or funder or organization that’s going to pay you for it. Even if that means like on a contract basis or like, you know, being self-employed in some way.”
“How does your work help you fulfill your goals and dreams?”
Graciela Cabello: “I mean, it’s so many different things. I don’t know that I can summarize it, but I mean, at the core it’s social justice, environmental justice, community building, movement building, and policy all in one. It allows me to give back to my community in a way that feels meaningful to me.”
“You know, I didn’t major in environmental studies. I didn’t set out to have a nature based career. I actually majored in business. When I was a young girl, I knew that I cared about protecting the environment. I just didn’t really know how to explore that interest. I didn’t have any mentors or any guidance into how I could nurture that curiosity. For me, as a kid, when people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I didn’t know. I just knew I needed to have a job that provided a living wage and one where I wasn’t burdened by the financial stress I had grown up with. And so business seemed like the thing to do.”
“At some point, I realized after I had a job in media for almost ten years and I had
the privilege of going out and exploring all these really beautiful places, I noticed that oftentimes I was the only person of color in these spaces. I started to ask these questions: ‘Why is this the case, why is there this disparity?’And that’s how I sort of shifted careers into doing outdoor access and being part of the movement for diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in the environment.”
“When I got to come back to the Central Coast and work with BIPOC identifying and Latine families in the place that I grew up in, in the forest that I grew up going to— it felt like this full circle moment. It felt like this is where I was meant to be.”
Xochitl Clare is a marine biologist and performing artist dedicated to climate change biology, education, and environmental storytelling. She is a first-generation Latina African American with island heritage (Jamaica and Belize) – where the importance of life at sea is in folktales, music, and food.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the last decade, for me, has fluctuated. I wish I could say confidently it has progressed forward in the conservation sector; however, that has not been the case in my lived experience. On some level, the need to be a more inclusive sector has provided me with opportunities, but I would like to think my accomplishments are based on my skills and work ethic instead of the boxes I check. I work in Texas, in the Hill Country, to be specific. Tejanos set a cultural milestone in the latest U.S. census by becoming our state’s largest demographic group. You would think with Tejanos being the largest demographic (and growing), I would see more people who look like me, talk like me, and hold similar cultural values to me in the area where I work, but I don’t. I am a young, Indigenous, wildlife conservationist Tejana in the Hill Country, and that alone puts me in a narrow category.
I remember going to my first network meeting so excited, and eager to make connections with people. I was finally in the door and had a seat at the table that I have always wanted to sit at. You see, my passion for wildlife conservation is inexhaustible, and I have energy like the wind. I can feel it all around me, and it’s expressed unapologetically. So when I say I was ready for this moment, I was truly taking it all in the present. I remember walking in and seeing everyone circled up. I walked around attempting to start conversations and introduce myself but wasn’t really getting an engaging atmosphere. I tried not to overthink and did my best to ignore imposter syndrome creeping in. There had to be about 100 people in the room, but somehow it felt like more. I was disproportionately the youngest in the room (I am in my late 20s) and shockingly uncomfortable. The best way I can put what the experience was like is, that it was not a welcoming room, and even now, I am not sure why or how. I sat to take my seat, purposely not getting on my phone so people could tell I was open to engaging, but nothing. When the opening presenter started his slide deck, to my surprise, the topic was DEIJ in wildlife conservation. I won’t ever forget this, he said, “there is a difference between inviting someone in the room and making them feel welcomed.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. After the presentation concluded, I went outside to call my husband. I was holding back tears trying to express my feelings in words and my frustration. In a professional setting, I felt so small and insignificant and embarrassed as if I did something wrong, as if I didn’t get the memo about something. I won’t ever forget that confining feeling of reality hitting me. I went to the restroom, looked in the mirror, and told myself, “It’s okay…you are qualified, you deserve to be here, and you worked to get here, it will be okay”. I took a deep breath and went back into that room. I wish I could say confidently it has progressed forward in the conservation sector; however, that has not been the case in my lived experience. I used to think it was just about having a seat at the table, but it’s not. It’s about people making efforts to ensure there is space for you, and sometimes you just have to make your own chair and bring it with you.
I now make an effort to speak up when that feeling returns, and I make sure to speak up when I see others looking uncomfortable because I always see it. My colleagues don’t see it, nor do they feel it, but I recognize it very quickly. I am not shy to speak on my lived experiences, because that’s what they are: my experiences. I still get nervous, my throat still gets shaky, and my hands still get sweaty. But, I bring myself to show up and speak up because if I don’t, progress will fail to happen. I am strong and brave like my mother. You see, she never completed the ninth grade and grew up significantly disadvantaged yet she made herself show up when it got hard. She ended up becoming a Senior Director of Risk Management for a multi-billion dollar company. She is what inspires me to keep moving the needle forward because I am exactly like her (igualitas), and I can take adversity so those who want to be in my sector, who are similar to me, do not have to.
One of my passion projects is “Lights Out, Texas!” (LOT) and I lead a citizen science study for it in Austin. When I lived in Dallas and first got involved, I was immediately sold on the idea of citizen science. LOT wasn’t just about saving wildlife, but I saw it as a way to get real science-based experience without needing a background in research, a more equitable way of getting involved in wildlife. I spent my whole adolescent life believing the lie we were all sold, that you need a higher degree to work in science and wildlife. But, there it was, $60K+ of student debt and two degrees later. That’s why I make sure all LOT resources are translated into different languages and do outreach to communities of color.
The truth is, DEI has gotten better for many people, but sometimes it feels like it’s a trend, and one day, the fad will be over. That is why I love Latino Outdoors so much, it’s a community that won’t go away even when everyone else stops talking about it. I can’t recall anyone around me ever knowing what DEI meant ten years ago, and so that tells me there is growth and people are listening, and so I am looking forward to these next ten years.
I used to Americanize myself more when I went to meetings or conferences, but not anymore. Just like having DEI statements won’t fix the issues at hand, my cultura should not be watered down to fit other people’s comfort. I don’t like feeling the need to assimilate to make others feel good about what DEI efforts they are doing. But, diversity or increasing representation in conservation will not happen until we are comfortable with calling it out. When I say we, I mean all of us because it can’t just fall on marginalized groups to recognize it. I am hopeful about the future of DEI in wildlife conservation, but I do owe it to myself and the next generation, to be honest about what reality feels like. This does not discourage me porque soy fuerte y valiente como mi mamá and obstacles are just opportunities waiting to be accomplished.
Azalia Rodríguez is an Outings Leader for Latino Outdoors Austin and works as the Texas Representative in the wildlife conservation sector of the Texas Hill Country. She is passionate about wildlife and saving imperiled species in any way she can. Although qualified and driven, her experience speaks to challenges in the conservation sector of Texas. She shares about the crossroads of cultura y conservation as it pertains to DEI growing pains as Texas engages in a culture shift.
