IF I CAN BE AN ACTIVIST, SO CAN YOU ¡SI SE PUEDE!

Photo by edenpictures

I admit I feel very weird referring to myself as an activist or advocate of any sort.  I come from a society that believes that as a woman “calladita te ves mejor” (the quieter you are the better you look). I believed it my whole life.

I’ve never spoken up publicly for things I truly believe in.  I am completely illiterate when it comes to rallying up support to call, email and/or, much less, visit our representatives to voice my opinion. Participating in a rally, a sit-in, a march, etc is the stuff I live vicariously through others, while I ponder on how brave and hero-like they are for protesting out loud.

Meanwhile, I ignore my own voice. My every-day-louder-and-louder voice that needs to be heard.

That’s over, ¡se acabó!

Through the Moms Clean Air Force I have joined a fierce group of mothers constantly motivating and inspiring me just by being who they are and doing what they do with an untamed passion.  Women like Dominique Browning, former editor of House & Garden magazine and a New York Times contributor and best seller, who is admirable in so many ways, but even more so because she is using her influence and connections to lead a movement to carry moms’ voices to Congress in support of the Environmental Protection Agency´s new Mercury and Toxics rule to protect our kids from dangerous air pollution.

Voices like Elisa Batista, a Cuban-American mom raising two beautiful kids with her Salvadoran husband.  Elisa uses her skills as a reporter and blogger with a strong community to constantly tackle the issues moms are rising, or should be rising, to.

Estas mujeres no son calladitas y son MUY bonitas (These womern are not quiet, yet they look very good.)

They, and all the other amazing moms that are part of this movement, have opened my eyes to the fact that I DO have a voice–and it’s not a small one. I have learned that every little action counts.  That emails and letters to our Senators and Congressmen do make a collective impact. That one tweet, one update on our Facebook wall in support of our cause, one blog post, one call to a friend can open a door to awareness that wasn’t there before.

Collective marches, protests and such are powerful, but your small actions in your immediate circle of influence (and we ALL have one, either on or offline) are just as powerful.

I want to prove to you how easy it is to join a cause you can truly believe in and take action.

Since SpanglishBaby is receiving a stipend to bring awareness to the danger of mercury, coal-related emissions and other toxins polluting our air and causing horrible chronic diseases amongst us–which can all be regulated through the Clean Air Act´s new Mercrury and Toxics rule and save thousands of lives each year–I want to motivate you, as well, to join our cause and spread the word.

To do so, I am personally (from my own account) going to give away at random a $100 donation to your favorite charity if you Join the Moms Clean Air Force (MCAF) to add your voice to this powerful movement of parents supporting clean air.  Click  here to join and then come back to this post and leave a comment telling me you did so and I will select a winner from all the comments using random.org.

To receive an additional entry Like the MCAF Facebook page and leave another comment telling us you did so.

Go for it! It feels great.

This giveaway ends Tuesday, June 28 July 5th at midnight PST and is open to U.S. residents over 18 years of age.  Check out the Giveaway Rules.

Disclosure:  We are receiving a small honorarium for our time writing, speaking and participating in events as part of the Moms Clean Air Force. Be sure that we would not associate our names, likeness and blog if we did not believe in the cause.