REimagining the future and Reclaiming the narrative
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is an activist, advocate, and hip hop artist who’s been organizing and speaking up for climate justice since age six. Now 20, he’s spoken at the United Nations on multiple occasions, joined panel discussions with some of the foremost environmental voices, sued the US government, and through writing and rapping, is challenging the world to use this moment to reimagine the future.
Xiuhtezcatl (pronounced shoe-tez-catl) wants to reclaim the narrative of how Indigenous stories and youth activists are portrayed and perceived in a society built on the concept of disposability. The youth are not “just a symbolic gesture of the future” but a generation that is here, alert, informed and ready to create something better today.
In conversation with Parley Founder Cyrill Gutsch, Xiuhtezcatl reflects on the past, present and future of environmental and social movements, discussing personal experiences, the need for more intergenerational and intersectional dialogue, and what we can and must learn from Indigenous peoples.
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
Xiuhtezcatl is an Indigenous activist, author, hip-hop artist and the Youth Director of Earth Guardians. Raised in the Aztec tradition, he’s been advocating for environmental and social justice since age six. Xiuhtezcatl has spoken at the United Nations, sued the US government, stood to protect sacred land from pipelines, joined nationally televised climate panels, been named to TIME’s Next 100 list, and performed all over the world. He feels called to change the narrative on climate activism and reinvent what the future of our collective movement can look like.
Xiuhtezcatl photography by Josué Rivas
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