Climate Change panel in Hialeah includes Taino representative

Participants of the City of Hialeah's Climate Change panel on December 6, 2015

Hialeah, Florida (UCTP Taino News) - CLIMA, an exhibition by world-renowned artist Xavier Cortada opened in the city of Hialeah on November 30 and will run until January 29, 2016 at the Milander Center for Arts and Entertainment. The exhibition uses art, performances and panels to address the issue of global climate change and sea level rise and how it impacts South Florida. A key component of the exhibit was 12 panel discussions on global climate change during the 12 days of the Paris Talks - from Nov 30 - Dec 11. Each panel concluded with a performance art piece addressing a topic presented in the panel. 

On Sunday, December 6, the guest panel entitled “Moral Nature: Faith in the face of a Global Climate Crisis” included Mildred Karaira Gandia (Taino) along with a diverse ecumenical group. The panelists discussed the faith community’s response to environmental degradation, and particularly its impact on the poor and generations not yet born. 

"The one thing that everyone on the panel agreed on was that in order to protect Atabei (Mother Earth) and our future generations, we all need to work together regardless of religion, color, etc." stated Gandia. 

She continued stressing that "we all have something to contribute and this crises cannot be solved by anyone alone". 

Gandia is a South Florida representative of the United Confederation of Taino People and an elder representative of the Bohio Atabei Caribbean Indigenous Women’s Circle. 

CLIMA is presented the City of Hialeah in partnership with FIU and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

UCTPTN 01.03.2016