Raise Every Voice— New Voices Are Rising Youth are Fighting for Clean Air
In East Oakland, youth like Jacky Verduzco grew up breathing polluted air—coping with asthma, fatigue, and missed school days caused by the constant hum of freeways, air traffic, and industrial sites built right next to their homes.
Jacky and her peers know what it means to live at the intersection of environmental racism and systemic neglect—and they are no longer waiting for change. They are creating it.
Jacky Verduzco, the Air Quality Community Specialist Intern for New Voices Are Rising
Through our New Voices Are Rising program, young BIPOC leaders from some of the Bay Area’s most environmentally burdened neighborhoods are turning lived experiences into community power. From shaping California’s first AB 617 air quality plan in West Oakland – Owning Our Air – to pushing for East Oakland’s inclusion in the program, they are redefining what environmental leadership looks like.
When they saw a critical gap in real-time, neighborhood-level air quality data—the kind of information needed to hold polluters and agencies accountable—they did not ask for permission.
They got to work.
Watch Jacky’s story to hear firsthand how East Oakland youth are leading the fight for environmental justice. This is the first in a series of videos on Instagram y Facebook spotlighting youth-driven campaigns for clean air, water, and resilient communities.
With support from the California Air Resources Board and community donors, New Voices youth began installing air monitors throughout East Oakland. These hyperlocal sensors are uncovering pollution hotspots and arming communities with the data they need to demand stronger protections. Even more powerfully, these youth are translating the numbers into action-oriented policy solutions grounded in community experience.
Jacky installs a Purple Air monitor in East Oakland.
“Air quality in our neighborhood has always been a concern for my family. Knowing that environmental racism places us beside pollution sources—and that this directly affects our health and even our lifespan—is hard. Measuring it and making those impacts visible is powerful.” – Jacky Verduzco, New Voices Youth Air Quality Specialist Intern
And this is just the beginning.
We are now expanding our youth-led air monitoring and advocacy work to Richmond/San Pablo and Pittsburg/Antioch—scaling up where it is needed most.
This next phase will:
- Deliver real-time, actionable air quality information directly to the youth and community members who need it most
- Train youth in citizen science, data management, and strategic storytelling
- Equip them to design accessible, community-centered tools for sharing air quality data
- Launch a multilingual, transparent air quality database tailored for public use
- Empower youth and their communities to bring lived experience to the table—translating data into powerful advocacy with decision-makers
With every monitor installed and every data point analyzed, these youth are not just documenting injustice—they are driving change. They are gaining the tools, mentorship, and platform to become the next generation of climate justice leaders.
You can also read more about New Voices’ role in the Port of Oakland’s historic electrification initiative here—a powerful example of youth leadership shaping real environmental solutions.
This visionary work is gaining momentum, and we look forward to sharing more stories in the months ahead as we continue advancing clean air and community power.
If you are inspired by Jacky and the New Voices youth—and believe in building grassroots power from the ground up—you can help sustain our work: Donate Here.
With gratitude and determination,
Mykela Patton
Associate Director, Surgen nuevas voces
Fundación Rose para las Comunidades y el Medio Ambiente