Meet Emmanuel Alcantar

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emmanuel Alcantar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Emmanuel, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

I was at Netroots Nation earlier this year, and I was struck by some words Congresswoman Delia Ramirez said during her address: “Our movement is an against-all-odds movement that continues to fight for justice in the face of fear, disillusionment, pessimism, and a lack of imagination.” Hearing that, I realized how much of my own work is rooted in optimism. Some may see it as naïveté, but I know I’m working toward a future beyond my lifetime—I think that’s just the nature of climate advocacy. It means the time horizon is long. When I measure success over 10 or 20 years, I feel less impatient and more confident that we’ll reach the future I envision for myself and those I care about: a clean energy future where people have well-paying jobs without endless hours, time to meet friends at local parks, and fast, reliable public transit to the beach.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I was born in Mexico and spent much of my childhood as an undocumented immigrant in South LA, where I still live. Today, I work as Communications Manager for Climate Cabinet, a nonprofit that helps elect state and local leaders committed to bold climate action. In addition, I serve as a Commissioner on LA County’s youth and climate commission and as Vice-Chair of the EPA’s inaugural National Environmental Youth Advisory Council, representing the entire Pacific Southwest region.

Politics and climate advocacy weren’t paths I initially envisioned for my career; I actually come from a pop-culture writing background. I changed course after evacuating college due to the Thomas Fire, which at the time was the largest wildfire in California’s history. That experience made me realize I wanted to take a more active role in addressing the crises affecting our lives. One of the most exciting parts of my work now is connecting with people from across the country and world, gaining new perspectives I hadn’t previously considered. There’s nothing I love more than the constant opportunity to learn. The common thread across all my roles is a commitment to bridging communication gaps and helping communities understand the institutions that impact their lives, ensuring that communities of color, working-class communities, and young people know how to drive change and have a meaningful voice in our climate future.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Adaptability and being a quick study, knowing where to look for information, and having empathy. Many people, when networking, focus solely on connecting with high-level professionals, but I believe it’s equally important to get to know who a person truly is. Yes, it helps to research their background and interests, but a significant part of networking is engaging with people authentically. This isn’t always possible if you only have a brief interaction, but the core advice here is to always bring your authentic self.

I’d also encourage people to not be afraid of going to events alone. For a large portion of my life, I didn’t have close friends, which taught me to be comfortable in new spaces where I don’t know anyone—something that often defines going to professional events or mixers when you’re early in your career. Being able to show up and connect without a familiar network can definitely open doors you might not expect.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

I’ll cheat a little and mention two people who have been on my mind lately. Both were professors at UCSB, where I did my undergraduate degree. The first is Gregory Graves, who taught several California History courses in the Environmental Studies department. He helped me see government as a tool for helping people. With the rise of fascism in different parts of the world today, I often wonder how he would contextualize current events in his lectures. I always enjoyed his storytelling approach—I sometimes wouldn’t even take notes in his class; I’d just sit there and listen.

The second is Quentin Gee, who was probably my favorite professor during undergrad and the one I took the most classes with. His courses often combined philosophy and ethics (funny, since anyone who knows me knew I always hated philosophy), and he approached topics with a nerdy enthusiasm that was infectious. He was also younger than most of the department’s faculty, which made him easy to connect with. His was the first environmental studies class I took, and while I initially struggled to decide on what to major in, he took the time to get to know his students and encouraged us to form our own independent perspectives. I always enjoyed talking to him—once, I stayed in his office hours so long that he couldn’t finish preparing his lecture slides for our class that day. That class ended about 30 minutes early, so everyone who got to go home early has me to thank for that.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @alcantarformayor
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmanuelalcantar/