Right to Democracy launches first cohort of environmental and democracy fellows

Right to Democracy has launched its first Environment and Democracy Fellowship Program, highlighting how climate and environmental justice in the United States territories are inseparable from questions of democracy, colonial legacies, and self-determination. The fellowship brings together six women leaders from Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands, who will work with local organizations to strengthen community-based advocacy and build capacity for systemic change.

The program is designed to address a shared reality across the territories: while they face some of the most urgent climate threats, their residents are excluded from key decision-making processes. “Across all our territories, we face major environmental and climate challenges. Civil society is organizing and working hard to mitigate and adapt, but we lack the decision-making power to shape critical policies that affect our environment,” said Adi G. Martínez-Román, co-director of Right to Democracy.

Fellows are tackling this exclusion from multiple perspectives rooted in their home islands. In American Samoa, Andra Samoa pointed to the push for deep-sea mining as an example of how decisions with irreversible impacts are often advanced without the consent of local communities. “The challenges of environmental justice have never been more pressing, not just in American Samoa but across the world. Here in the territories, we face these challenges compounded by unilateral actions where we are not at the table to decide on our own resources and ecosystems,” she said.

Others emphasized the strength found in solidarity across the territories. Maria Hernandez of Guam reflected on her prior work with the Micronesia Climate Change Alliance: “My experience taught me well that we are stronger together speaking with one voice. I am so excited to join powerful advocates from all five territories to learn from each other and bring new cross-territorial lenses to the challenges we face.”

In Puerto Rico, Nayda Bobonis Cabrera underscored the fellowship’s potential to amplify the work already happening on the ground. Having long worked with local communities to protect natural resources, she said, “As a community leader, I feel honored to share this experience with my fellow women leaders in the archipelago and in the other territories. I trust that, through our work over these two years, we will be able to help ensure that the democratic system guarantees the rights of the most vulnerable people.”

From the Northern Mariana Islands, Sheila Babatua stressed how the program can help build a united regional movement. “The health of our ocean and our communities has always been my greatest passion. My journey has taught me that we are so much stronger when we stand together,” she said, adding that she looks forward to connecting with other leaders to “begin building a shared path toward a future where our islands and our people are respected, heard, and can finally flourish.”

In the United States Virgin Islands, fellows drew a direct link between democratic reforms and environmental resilience. Imani Daniel, who also serves as a delegate to the ongoing Constitutional Convention, noted that Hurricane Erin had passed near the islands while delegates were in session. “Here in the Convention, we’re exploring the structures, institutions, and protections with which we can build a new future to tackle the most pressing challenges in the Virgin Islands,” she said.

Her fellow Virgin Islander, Dr. Hadiya Sewe,r emphasized how the challenges of colonial societies echo across the territories. “Many of these experiences, while specific to our home, are shared by communities across the other United States territories. This fellowship is an important opportunity to connect with leaders who have similar perspectives,” she said.

Right to Democracy co-director Neil Weare framed the fellowship as part of a broader effort to strengthen a movement for both democracy and climate justice. “The challenges we face are pressing, but with the dedication and new perspectives of our fellows, we have an incredible opportunity to achieve meaningful change,” he said.

Through shared advocacy, capacity building, and inter-territorial collaboration, the fellowship seeks to ensure that residents of the territories not only adapt to climate change but also help shape the decisions that affect their islands’ futures.