Jordan Sanchez
Bronx High School of Science, ‘19
“The effects of climate change do not discriminate, but they do affect people at different times. Low income communities of color tend to be the first ones affected, but the last ones saved. I speak about climate change to advocate for these groups.”
Jordan was born and raised in the Bronx and hails from a family of Puerto Rican, Taino Native, Congolese, and Togolese descent. Her primary hobby is writing, followed by participating in beauty pageants, which she regards as some of the most empowering environments for herself as a woman. Physics and astrophysics are her central passions, and she plans to study them in college. Aside from aspiring to be a role model for young girls of color, she would love to direct either NASA or SpaceX.
On Climate Denial
Denial is the first stage of grief, but what are you grieving?
Maybe the fact that our clean air is leaving,
Our lungs constantly receiving the grey,
Ourselves slowly receding into the black.
Our blue waters we pretended to love,
Suffocated with plastic we disposed of.
Red turns the dove who flies away
With no turning back.
Back into time when I still saw—
Seeing green and gold and green and blue
Seeing is believing but I can only see
One place at one time.
Hurricanes in Houston,
Freezing people in Chicago,
Bangladesh underwater—
But I can only see
One place at one time.
The time is now, but when is now really?
Three months ago, two weeks ahead, last year—
Yesterday,
It was yesterday,
When I was anxiously waiting for a phone call
From Grandma Vicky down in San Juan.
It was yesterday,
When I saw the beautiful island suffocated by the heavy grey fog.
It was yesterday-
The New York City skyline is flooded,
Not with water this time,
But empty promises that float to the top,
Stealing the air and
All you can do is sit and stare—
Stare at the world around you.
She is crying to you in the form of
Ashes and smoke, smoke and ashes.
Ashes and hope;
They are all we have left.
And all there is left to do is right.
Searching for direction,
All we can look to is each other.
Look up and what do you see?
What do you hear?
If it is a colorless world you do not fear,
You aren’t thinking hard enough,
Thinking far enough.
Look inside yourself and
Ask if you’re doing enough.
If you acknowledge the climate crisis
You’ll see that the climate price is
Too much for us to bear,
And I’m not talking polar bears.
All it takes is for you to care,
Not about the birds, the bees,
Or Florida’s orange trees,
But about people.
Your family, neighbors, community,
Creating the change we need to see.
When you stop and breathe,
All you can think is:
This problem is so much bigger than me.
But no one is asking you to plant a billion trees,
Or develop renewable energies,
But we all have to contribute
To this international society.
You see,
Big problems are made up of little ones,
And solutions are the same way.
They start in this room,
And end under the sunlight of a new day.
