Plants & People
Plantas y Gente
The Plants & People / Plantas y Gente project
The Plants & People / Plantas y Gente initiative was launched by Arte Sana in 2022 to reaffirm and restore our relationship with indigenous plants by honoring their ancestral medicinal and cultural significance, and by engaging bilingual voices to promote environmental justice for healthy, thriving communities living in cultural authenticity.
The Plants & People / Plantas y Gente project logo was inspired by the indigenous plant fertility spirits created by the Otomi people of Mexico through the ancient tradition of amate paper making from the pulp of the fig and mulberry trees.
The nopal was chosen for its important role in our ecosystem and because it is one of the most sustainable, nourishing, and resilient crops in the world.
The nopal or nōpalli is not only an ancient symbol of Mexican culture, but is also a cultural reference that has been flipped by those who are proud to wear “el nopal en la frente” (the nopal on our forehead) and honor our indigenous and Mexican roots.
About Arte Sana (art heals)
Founded in 2001, Arte Sana (art heals) is a national 501(c)(3) Latina-led nonprofit based in Texas was originally created to help bridge the gaps in victim assistance for Spanish speaking survivors of sexual violence. Arte Sana and its leadership have received state, national and international recognition from the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, the United States Mexico Border Health Commission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the DOJ Office of Justice Programs, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, and Casa Amiga in Juarez, México, for its bilingual training events and effective bilingual outreach campaigns. Arte Sana's very first event in 2001 was the Corazón Lastimado: Healing the Wounded Heart sexual assault survivor art exhibit that evolved from a statewide exhibit to a national and international one that included art from México and Argentina.
Since 2021, Arte Sana has developed native plant advocacy content, focused on engaging bilingual voices to promote environmental justice and community-based environmental stewardship through collaborations, and more recently with campaigns such as Latino Conservation Week.
Summary of formal & informal Plants & People, Plantas y Gente collaborative activities:
In 2022
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The first Dripping Springs Earth Day Proclamation recognized local and state conservation groups, including the Native Plant Society of Texas.
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The Lights out, Texas! ¡Apaga las luces, Texas! social media toolkit Spanish language translation was facilitated by networking with Hays County Friends of the Night Sky and Texan by Nature.
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The Green Juneteenth Reading List was created, then supported and shared by local conservation groups.
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The Our Raíces (roots): A Latin American Naturalist Reading & Resource List was compiled for Latin American Heritage Month.
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Inspired by #LatinoConservationWeek, social media campaign, the very first #TexasNativePlantWeek social media campaign was launched in October 2022.
In 2023
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Arte Sana leadership translated the NPSOT support statement (the first bilingual statement) for National Native Plant Month in 2023, and later translated the Texas Native Plant Week proclamation text to Spanish, that was made available to NPSOT Chapters across Texas.
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A native plant alphabet and a calendar of native plant advocacy action dates was developed and shared.
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The Botanical Pride reading and resource list was added to the list of Plants & People, Plantas y Gente collection of bilingual curated content.
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A wide array of bilingual content was developed for Latino Conservation Week, including a corresponding Spanish language hashtag list for online bilingual native plant advocacy.
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#TexasNativePlantWeek social media campaign was launched again in October 2023 with updated campaign themes and bilingual content.
Some reading and resource lists for those who are ready to dig a bit deeper:
Healing Xinachtli Survivor Reading List
International Women's Day Reading List
Our Raíces: Latin American Naturalist Reading & Resource List
Texas Native Plant Week Toolkit
Backyard Native Plant Habitats Reading & Viewing List