Participants of Right to Democracy’s Summit on U.S. Colonialism convened in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, to focus on the intersection of climate change and the democracy deficit in U.S. territories. (Photo by Jasmarie Hernández-Cañuelas)
Residents of U.S. territories, who are among the nation’s most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, are being offered a new opportunity to strengthen their influence in national and international policy through a two-year Environment and Democracy Fellowship launched by Right to Democracy, the nonprofit announced.
The nonprofit organization, which works to advance democracy, equity, and self-determination in U.S. territories, announced the initiative this week. The fellowship will fund individuals from American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to work with local environmental organizations and develop cross-territorial advocacy proposals. Fellows will focus on building regional collaboration to address the dual challenges of climate change and political disenfranchisement, according to the press release.
“People in U.S. territories are on the front lines of some of the most destructive manifestations of the climate crisis. Yet all too often our efforts to address these challenges run into the obstacles of an undemocratic, unaccountable, and unresponsive political status quo,” said Adi Martínez-Román, co-director of Right to Democracy and a resident of Puerto Rico. “This fellowship will support community-based advocates and organizations to meaningfully amplify and challenge the many issues that arise from the intersections of climate change and undemocratic colonial rule.”
Despite a combined population of roughly 3.6 million, U.S. territories do not have voting representation in Congress, cannot vote for president, and lack standing in regional or international bodies — conditions that limit their ability to shape environmental and climate policy. Local governments and organizations often struggle to secure support and visibility for their work on climate resilience due to these structural barriers, the press release stated.
Right to Democracy is seeking emerging and established leaders in each territory who are working on climate and environmental justice. Interested individuals or organizations should submit a letter of intention and resume by May 30 to contact@righttodemocracy.us. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal outlining how they would address the intersections of climate change, environmental justice, democracy, and colonial rule through a cross-territorial lens, the release stated.
“So many incredible territory organizations and communities are already doing amazing work on the ground. We’re excited to embark on an initiative that supports and empowers them to expand their work at the nexus of the environment and democracy to make a broader impact at the national and international levels,” said Neil Weare, co-director of Right to Democracy and a native of Guam.
The inaugural cohort of fellows will be announced by midsummer. More information is available at righttodemocracy.us/fellowship.
