Community Partner Spotlight: The Hispanic Access Foundation

Since 2022, the New England Aquarium has partnered with the Hispanic Access Foundation, a national nonprofit on a mission to improve lives and create an equitable society by connecting Latinos with opportunities.

Where do our organizations overlap? Both deeply value access and equity, and, in addition to other pillars like financial literacy and STEM education, one of the Hispanic Access Foundation’s primary focus areas is conservation—across climate, public lands, waterways and watersheds, and oceans. They work to elevate Latino voices advocating for environmental issues that directly affect their daily lives and expand opportunities for outdoor recreation.

“It’s important for Latinos and communities of color to have access to the outdoors, and oftentimes, these marginalized communities are left out of these spaces,” says Vanessa Muñoz, the waterways program manager at the Hispanic Access Foundation. “It’s really important to highlight the connection between communities and conservation, the environment, and natural resources.”

Creating a Space for Storytelling, Dialog, Learning, and Advocacy

Our partnership with Hispanic Access Foundation began with hosting a film screening during Our Heritage, Our Planet Film Week on the big screen at the Simons Theatre. Through this film festival, the Hispanic Access Foundation has amplified Latino, Black, Indigenous, and people of color’s voices as they explore how their heritage connects them to the environment by providing grants to BIPOC filmmakers and organizing screenings of their work.

In 2022 and 2023, our team and Hispanic Access Foundation worked hand-in-hand to plan, promote, and showcase five of these films—with topics ranging from Puerto Rico’s deaf community’s experience with the environment and accessibility to the impact of climate change on the Philippines—at the Simons Theatre. While the Hispanic Access Foundation also offered virtual screenings, our in-person events offer unique local community involvement. At each event, free for all to attend, the films have been followed with Q&A and panel discussions with the filmmakers, the Hispanic Access Foundation team, and community leaders.

“I love seeing attendees meet these panelists and hear how they started, where they came from, and how they build resilience, especially in this day and age with climate being such an important issue and the need to develop climate-resilient communities,” Muñoz says.

Though ownership of Our Heritage, Our Planet Film Week changed in 2024, we continue to work together closely to organize, raise awareness of, and host film screenings during Latino Conservation Week at the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 to October 15.

During the most recent Latino Conservation Week, we celebrated with a screening of two films showcasing Latino environmental leaders and their work, including the Hispanic Access Foundation’s newest film, Beyond Borders: Tales of Monarcas, Rivers and Two Nations. The event took place on September 19, a day the Hispanic Access Foundation calls Yo Cuento, which roughly translates to “I count” and can imply “I tell a story” in Spanish.

“Essentially, it’s all about storytelling,” says Evelyn Ramirez, digital communications manager at the Hispanic Access Foundation. “Storytelling is a huge component of the work that we do because we want to lift the Latino voice, we don’t want to speak for Latino communities.”

The Hispanic Access Foundation has also joined us and other nonprofit partners at the Aquarium for the last two years of World Ocean Day events, where they’ve highlighted the vital relationship between Latinos and our oceans. In June 2024, they offered bilingual environmental and conservation toolkits that provided a comprehensive guide to the impact of water and climate issues on Latino communities and highlighted local ocean conservation champions.

A Supportive, Successful Partnership Continues to Grow

These events help our nonprofit partners connect not only to more Boston-area community members but also to other potential local partners and media.

“Our goal is to help them and support their message,” says Jessica Tantin, director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Aquarium. “We try to take on some of the load when we plan for anything together so that we can increase their capacity and they can continue to reach new audiences and amplify their message.”

Since partnering with the Aquarium in 2022, “We have a more engaged population in Boston,” says Margaret Lamphier Meier, corporate partnerships manager at the Hispanic Access Foundation. “The Aquarium has done an excellent job marketing outside of our existing network, so we can build upon the partners we have here. We’re so much more well connected in New England now in terms of organizational partners and coalition leaders.”

As for the future, we look forward to continuing and expanding upon our partnership with the Hispanic Access Foundation in the coming years.

How Can I Get Involved?

The latest films are now accessible on the Hispanic Access Foundation website.  Muñoz encourages viewers to host their own screenings, whether large or small.

“Maybe some people want to bring their community together, their families, friends, and be inspired by the film,” she says. “Just like monarch butterflies in Beyond Borders, they might have migrated from somewhere and have settled in these different communities that they now have an impact in.”

You can also apply to join the Hispanic Access Foundation’s Conservation Network, a group composed of individuals across the country who are passionate advocates for conservation. The organization provides a space for them to discuss the issues, grow as climate-advocate leaders, and participate in initiatives like Latino Conservation Week and Latino Advocacy Week, which brings members together at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., to advocate for climate policy changes.

“There are so many different opportunities for folks to engage with us outside of our signature initiatives and outside of Hispanic Heritage Month,” Ramirez says. “We work year-round for our communities, with our communities, and we continuously uplift them.”

Follow Hispanic Access Foundation on social media for the latest updates and opportunities to get involved: Instagram | Facebook | X  | YouTube