Aurora Castillo (1914-1998)

… it was not just our children we were fighting for but also the health and well-being of whole future generations. An Hispanic mother will turn into a lionness if her cub is threatened. You see, the mother is the soul of the family, but the child is the heart-beat. And that is why we keep fighting. To keep the heart of our community beating.

–Aurora Castillo

Community, family, motherhood, faith, equality, and environmental justice are just a few themes emblematic of Aurora Castillo’s conservation legacy. Affectionately known as “La Dona”(godmother), a title of deep respect provided by her East Los Angeles community,  Castillo was a fourth-generation Mexican-American who moved to action in her seventies by co-founding the Mothers of East Los Angeles (MELA) during the late 1980s. This local grassroots organization mobilized mothers, children, fathers, and other urban community members to successfully prevent a wave of environmental injustices and hazardous projects from besieging her beloved community. MELA prevented construction of a state prison, above-ground oil pipeline, hazardous waste treatment plant, and a toxic waste incinerator. MELA inspired and collaborated with other grassroots environmental efforts around Los Angeles, fighting for a better quality of life in underserved and minority communities historically ignored, exploited, or dismissed by government and industry. At its height, MELA mobilized over 400 members and received local, national, and scholarly recognition for its work combating environmental racism and fighting for a safe and healthy environment for children in Los Angeles. MELA also garnered support among local elected officials and ultimately shattered expectations and stereotypes about the role women, underprivileged neighborhoods, and Hispanic communities can embody by speaking out against injustice, contesting environmental degradation, disavowing dangerous pollution, undermining unethical urban development, and effectively engaging in political discourse. Castillo was named the State of California’s Woman of the Year in 1989 and was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize (known as the “Green Nobel Prize”) in 1995.

This plaque was created by SUTL Cohort 38.

Photo Credit: Goldman Environmental Prize.