Alejandría M. Lyons, Environmental Justice Organizer , SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP)
Alejandría M. Lyons is the Environmental Justice Organizer with the SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP) located in Albuquerque, New Mexico on unseated southern Tiwa Territory. She began in 2015, by working alongside food sovereignty activists across New Mexico and later water rights activists who aim to protect historic acequias. Alejandría recently received her Master’s in Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico, where she focused on environmental and indigenous planning issues. She supports the efforts of others to use traditional teachings to heal the land and the community in order to protect our natural resources. As a native Nuevomexicana Alejandria understands the importance of being active in her community’s challenges as well as returning to one’s ancestral knowledge. Currently SWOP’s work is focused on addressing the Kirtland Jet Fuel Spill, one of the largest aquifer contamination in US history, working to combat environmental racism in Albuquerque’s historic neighborhoods, and working statewide to protect water resources.
“I am attending the COP26 to represent New Mexico and to tell our world leaders that we are not a sacrifice zone. Our land and water must be protected as well as the rights of future nuevomexicanx generations. We need to hold the US military accountable in this climate conversation no matter how much power they hold in our state.”