Vic Barrett was raised in New York as a first-generation Honduran-American. He is proud of his roots, with his family being part of the Garifuna community. As a plaintiff in the landmark Juliana v. U.S. climate change lawsuit, or speaking before the UN General Assembly, Vic has been a global voice for youth on climate. "Being born with a lot of intersecting identities—not just being black, but also being LatinX, and not just being queer, but also being trans and a first-generation American—I have a lot of experiences that have made me an empathetic person when I speak on climate justice."
Vic was 14 or 15 the first time he thought about climate change in Honduras. At his family's home, close to the beach, his mom was talking about how when she was younger, they used to have to walk a little bit to get to the beach. Now it’s just right there. Later he felt firsthand climate impacts in the form of Hurricane Sandy, when his home lost power and his school and local transport shut down.
He appreciates the uniqueness of his heritage of being Afro-Indigenous and Afro-Latino which inspires a lot of his connection to the natural world and the ways we can challenge ourselves to understand it better. He builds bridges to help people understand that Black, brown, and Indigenous leaders hold a lot of the knowledge and values we need to not only beat this climate crisis but also beat the negative values that have perpetuated the climate crisis. Vic is currently a Network Organizer for the Power Shift Network.
