Somos de Muchas Voces: Science and Environmental and Climate Justice Radio Reporting in the Willamette Valley
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Date
2024-07-01
Authors
Rios, Maya
de Onís, Catalina
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Effective communication is vital for communities that are typically disregarded and devalued in the dominant scientific discourse; for these communities to convey quality research, culture-centered scientific communication is crucial. This paper explores the significance of environmental and climate justice communication in the Pacific Northwest and emphasizes the need to recognize and address the disproportionate burden faced by communities of color and low-wealth communities. Despite a plethora of English-language publications in the United States, a significant portion of the population, including Spanish speakers, lacks access to culturally resonant scientific information. This lack of access hinders these communitiesʼ ability to contribute to environmental policies and other concerns that affect them. This paper presents a project conducted in collaboration with Radio Poder—a Spanish and Indigenouslanguage radio station in Oregon that aims to create Spanish-language science programming focusing on environmental and climate justice. By centering the voices of Spanish-speaking communities and featuring Latine scientists, practitioners, and activists, among others, the project seeks to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and public understanding to foster inclusive environmental and climate justice communication.
Description
Maya Rios is completing a Data Science degree with minors in Spanish and English. Mayaʼs research project titled “Somos de Muchas Voces: Science and Environmental Radio Reporting in the Willamette Valley” was mentored by Professor Catalina de Onís, Environmental Justice and Latinx scholar in the Clark Honors College. Maya hopes to expand on this research in the future for her senior thesis.
Dr. Catalina de Onís is an interdisciplinary teacher-scholar with interests in communication and rhetorical studies, Latina/e/x feminisms, Latine communication studies, environmental, climate, and energy justice studies, and (auto)ethnographic methods. Catalina is the author of Energy Islands: Metaphors of Power, Extractivism, and Justice in Puerto Rico (University of California Press, 2021).