Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Isaias Hernandez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Isaias, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
When I was growing up in Los Angeles, I learned about environmental issues and social inequality through the neighborhood I lived in. It wasn’t until later on in life that I could describe them as that. When I began to understand that the pollution, lack of healthy food, and economic disparities were policy decisions, it changed my worldview. Things didn’t have to be this way. I decided I wanted to help everyone learn about the environment and started my platform QueerBrownVegan to make that a reality. I started with simple graphics to explain intersectional environmental principles and shine a light on topics not always centered in environmental education. Education is such a powerful tool to create change. That’s why I wanted my work to be bringing that to as many people as possible in a way that doesn’t ignore issues like race, gender, and economic status.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hi, I’m Isaias Hernandez and I’m an LA-based climate educator and creator. I founded the independent media platform QueerBrownVegan and also work as a public speaker and sustainability consultant. My environmental work focuses on creating educational content that highlight the ways our environmental issues intersect with social ones. I also work with individuals, nonprofits, and businesses to amplify their change-making journeys and share solutions.
I think I’m most proud of how this might influence other BIPOC environmentalists to pursue independent careers around issues that matter to them. I got into this work because I saw a lack of diversity in environmental spaces. I didn’t want to have conversations about the planet without also talking about the people on it. There was a need to bring education of concepts like environmental racism beyond classrooms and it’s still needed in so many ways. What started as a passion for graphic design and environmental education has bloomed. From hosting community-building events to independent media projects, the diversity of my own career has shown me how many forms this work can take. It’s all needed!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I think a lot of the climate movement seems to uphold perfectionism. How does that make us feel? People think that being an “environmentalist” means you have to do everything right. The reality of how we navigate privilege or give ourselves grace is much more complex.
I’ve certainly made mistakes and received my fair share of criticisms. I prefer to not be perfect but to be honest and accountable. I realized that I might not be able to please everyone or always make the right decision, and being 100% sustainable is difficult (impossible?) in the world we live in. We can challenge these narratives. Being authentic about how we navigate these issues is an important step to learning and growing.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I think there was this false impression that somehow my queerness and my hispanic background were things separate from my environmentalism. The truth is they are essential to it. I knew I didn’t want to hide parts of myself away but I had to trust that choosing a name like “QueerBrownVegan” would help me live in my truth. Having this be a central part of my platform ended up helping me strike a chord with other youth that wanted attention on these issues.
Contact Info:
- Website: queerbrownvegan.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/queerbrownvegan
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaias-hernandez-79a3a5149/
- Twitter: twitter.com/@queerbrownvegan
- Youtube: youtube.com/@queerbrownvegan
- Other: tiktok.com/@queerbrownvegan