Roberto Cabrales
Pitzer College
Roberto Cabrales' dedication to community organizing around the systemic influences of environmental concerns has grown into a deep commitment toward the liberation of low-income communities and communities of color. Environmental toxicity as it relates to communities of color is faced by many folks at the margins of systemic issues. Roberto not only acknowledges this, but has become an advocate and student activist; informing his organizing by enriching his knowledge of sociopolitical inequalities and applying his knowledge to grassroots endeavors to create sustainable change for communities in Southeast Los Angeles and the residents of Skid Row. He has also examined the longtime historical racist housing policies in the US through his work at Inner City Law Center.Additionally, he has analyzed its intersections with the toxicity of the environments typically inhabited by communities of color. Pitzer College is grateful for the deep contributions and responsible reflection Roberto has offered to the institution and the individuals within it. We consider him an example to students of color and allies seeking to create tangible change.
Personal Statement
Roberto Cabrales is a junior studying Environmental Analysis at Pitzer College as a NRS Student. Roberto started organizing at the age of 17 while attending Huntington Park high school. He has been rooted in the fight to improve the quality of life for all, especially communities on the frontlines of environmental impacts. Roberto was a community organizer with Communities for a Better Environment from 2002 to 2015 where he worked on legislation to bring more electric vehicle incentives to Los Angeles low-income communities. Additionally, for a decade, Roberto organized Southeast Los Angeles residents to successfully shut down Exide Technologies in Vernon, California, a battery recycling facility that was spewing tons of toxic lead into the air and poisoning thousands of residents in LA County. Roberto has lead hundreds of toxic tours in Los Angeles bringing awareness to the environmental injustices Los Angeles residents have endured for decades. In January of 2016, Roberto joined the organizing team at Inner City Law Center in Down Town LA's Skid Row helping Los Angeles residents with habitability issues and battling slumlords. By improving tenants' habitability living conditions, Roberto is helping improve quality of life for the most vulnerable populations of Los Angeles.
