“The biggest challenge we face is shifting human consciousness, not saving the planet,” says 14-year-old Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, from Boulder, Colorado, in the short documentary Kid Warrior. “Because the planet doesn’t need saving — we do.”
Raised in the Aztec tradition by his father, Xiuhtezcatl has been fighting for environmental change since he was six, being moved to action after seeing Leonardo Dicaprio’s documentary The Eleventh Hour.
He’s organised over 100 high-impact rallies, events and conferences around the globe, has spoken for TED and is one of the youngest people to speak on a United Nations panel. He’s also youth director of Earth Guardians, a nonprofit organisation that encourages young people to get involved in environmental activism.
“We’ve gotten threats from the oil and gas industry… weird shit happens when people start to tell the truth about big industries that are coming in and taking advantage of communities, and taking advantage of resources,” says Xiuhtezcatl.
In 2013, Xiuhtezcatl was awarded ‘Youth Change Maker of the Year’ from President Obama, and was the youngest of 24 national change-makers chosen to serve on the President’s youth council.
His twelve-year-old brother Itzcuauhtli is quickly following in his footsteps. On 27 October, 2014, he went on a 45-day silent strike for climate action. Now, Itzcuauhtli is collecting one million signatures to deliver to United Nations leaders when they convene in Paris for the December 2015 climate talks.
Together, Xiuhtezcatl and Itzcuauhtli have produced hip hop songs like ‘What the Frack?’ and ‘Speak for the Trees’ to deliver these messages in a way that is fun and accessible for young adults.
They are taking the campaign all across the globe, getting as many young people involved as possible. “People will look at this generation as the generation that was able to overcome one of the greatest issues that humanity has ever been faced with… People say that we’re the future, that we’re going to inherit this planet…It’s amazing to see young people say ‘we’re not going to wait until then’. We’re going to do something now.”
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Inside New York City’s hedonistic 2000s skateboarding scene
New photobook, ‘Epicly Later’d’ is a lucid survey of the early naughties New York skate scene and its party culture.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Did we create a generation of prudes?
Has the crushing of ‘teen’ entertainment and our failure to represent the full breadth of adolescent experience produced generation Zzz? Emma Garland investigates.
Written by: Emma Garland
How to shoot the world’s most gruelling race
Photographer R. Perry Flowers documented the 2023 edition of the Winter Death Race and talked through the experience in Huck 81.
Written by: Josh Jones
An epic portrait of 20th Century America
‘Al Satterwhite: A Retrospective’ brings together scenes from this storied chapter of American life, when long form reportage was the hallmark of legacy media.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Bobby Gillespie: “This country is poisoned by class”
Primal Scream’s legendary lead singer writes about the band’s latest album ‘Come Ahead’ and the themes of class, conflict and compassion that run throughout it.
Written by: Bobby Gillespie
Vibrant photos of New York’s Downtown performance scene
‘Balloons and Feathers’ is an eclectic collection of images documenting the scene for over two decades.
Written by: Miss Rosen