Xiye Bastida is a 20 year old Mexican-Chilean climate activist and member of the indigenous Mexican Otomi-Toltec nation. After watching her home town near Mexico City suffer a three year drought, she began her journey to become a voice for indigenous and immigrant visibility in climate activism and to bring Indigenous knowledge into decision making spaces.
Joseph Wilkanowski is a 19 year old climate activist focused on racial justice in underprivileged communities. Originally from Medellin, Colombia, now living in New York, he has seen firsthand how low income neighborhoods are some of the most affected by climate change and wants to empower change in those areas.
2022 Billion Acts Awardees Xiye and Joseph co-founded Re-Earth Initiative in 2020, a youth-led organization on a mission to make the climate movement accessible to all by hosting global protests, events and webinars and educating other young leaders how to take action for the climate. The initiative has over 300 members and spans 40 countries and strives to uplift the voices of those who have been historically marginalized, and inspire frontline communities to join them in finding solutions to address climate justice.