| My mom came to the United States from San Martín Huamelulpam, a small pueblo in Oaxaca, México, more than 35 years ago. She worked in hotels. She worked in restaurants. She went back to college because none of her credits transferred, learning an entirely new language while doing it. She endured all of it and kept going. She believed that somewhere on the other side of all that sacrifice was an America that would give her children a better life. She came for what this country calls life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. She believed those words applied to her too. But the America I grew up in didn’t always live up to that promise. I grew up breathing air thick with pollution. When my asthma flared, no one connected the dots for me. The pollution in my lungs and the pollution in my community are not accidents. They are the result of decades of choices by a government that has decided our lives and our health are an acceptable cost. That is what moved me to court. I joined Venner v. EPA because silence is not an option. When the EPA erased the scientific finding that greenhouse gas pollution threatens public health, it wasn’t just a policy decision. It was a direct attack to my life, to my ability to breathe, and to the lives of people I love. It was a violation of my constitutional rights. And young people, especially those of us who can’t vote yet, deserve a place to raise our voices and be heard. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those words mean being able to breathe clean air. They mean imagining a future that is healthy and secure. They mean that the promise of this country should apply to everyone living under its laws, regardless of age, race, income, or immigration status. My mom left everything she knew to give her future family a chance. I’m in court to make sure that chance means something. We all deserve better. My mom showed me what it looks like to work for that. I will continue to carry her bravery forward.With gratitude, |
| Ariela Lara Plaintiff, Venner v. EPA |