By Jaci Collins Falcon for El Semanario
Posted April 23, 2026
“Estamos unidos,” (We are united). A recurring phrase in Nemonte Nenquimo’s speech, “Raíces, Resiliencia, Resistencia: Building Coalitions to Protect Mother Earth,” at the Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Richard T. and Virginia M. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship.
The co-author of “We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People,” addressed a crowded at the Tivoli Turnhalle on the Auraria campus, on April 15, sharing a story of resistance, culture, and environmental justice. Originally from the Amazonian region of Ecuador and a member of the Waorian tribe, she has become a champion of Indigenous rights.
Every year, the professorship brings Latinx leaders, scholars and visionaries to MSU Denver to conduct various lectures and seminars that highlight culture and community. Students, professors, community members, and Indigenous peoples dressed in their native clothing attended the event. This year’s Castro professorship celebrated Indigenous culture and addressed the need for social and environmental change to protect sacred communities and land.
Nenquimo’s message of protecting sacred territories and peoples resonated deeply with the MSU community and the purpose of the professorship. Originally established to honor the late Richard T. Castro, the professorship was renamed in 2021 to include his wife, Virginia M. Castro, honoring the couple’s activism and advocacy for Denver’s Chicano and Latinx community.
Nenquimo is the 25th keynote speaker to appear at this event. In her speech, she shared her personal story as a female leader who drew inspiration from her ancestors to combat Western invasion and oil pollution that severely impacted her people’s way of life. “We began to work—installing rainwater systems, supporting communities that had no clean water, that were losing their language, their culture, their ceremonies. Unity opened our vision. It helped us protect our territory, preserve our language, our songs, our rituals,” Nenquimo said.
Sheila Pérez-Kindle attended the event in honor of Virgina Castro, who was mourning the anniversary of her late husband’s passing. Pérez-Kindle, a displaced Aurarian who works closely with Virginia Castro said that events such as this are important because they address and recognize the pain communities such as her own experience.
Nenquimo’s emphasis on the importance of reconnecting with the land is something displaced Aurarians don’t have the chance to do. “All the families were dispersed throughout the city, not only one place, our family went south of Colfax,” Pérez-Kindle said. “There were a lot of close friendships that were broken, and you know, the trauma that occurred after that was pretty hard for people, and now we still experience it because they really don’t want us on this campus, and in fact, have pushed us back in so many ways.”
The speech highlighted the need for unity and awareness to preserve these sacred territories moving forward. While communities still experience the pain of displacement, the event created hope. For Melanie López Macareno, a second-year, first-generation student at MSU, the need for togetherness resonated deeply. Her biggest takeaway was the message that unity creates change. “Union hace la fuerza, in union that’s force, that’s power and unity,” she said.
MSU anthropology professor Rebecca Forgash teaches “We Will Be Jaguars” in her class. She emphasized the importance of sharing Indigenous and marginalized stories. “Being able to connect to folks who come from very different backgrounds is important for all of our students to understand their common humanity, to understand the kinds of systems that they’re embedded in, and kinds of systems of inequality that maybe their own behaviors perpetuate,” she said.
While recognizing that fighting systemic inequalities is important, Nenquimo argues that resistance requires more than confrontation. “It is not only about fighting systems—it is also about reconnecting: fishing, walking, bathing in rivers, making chicha, practicing rituals, asking Mother Nature for strength and wisdom, eating well, living with joy. Not only anger—because anger alone weakens our spirit,” she said.
Nenquimo’s story was more than a lecture. It was a powerful symbol for change. Even with all of the disconnect and uncertainty in the world, Nenquimo is hopeful. “There is hope in young people, in those studying, in social movements,” she said. “People outside may feel disconnected, overwhelmed by technology, but there is hope when we live with purpose.”
Jaci Collins Falcon is an Independent Reporter.
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