#MyGrandCanyonStory | Representative Raquel Terán

HECHO spoke with Representative Raquel Terán of Arizona to learn about her personal connection to the Grand Canyon, her favorite memories there, and why she believes the Grand Canyon should be protected from uranium mining.   

HECHO: What is your personal connection to the Grand Canyon?   

Representative Raquel Terán (RT): I had never been to the Grand Canyon growing up. I finally went to visit in my early thirties. It was so easy to just get in the car and go visit the Canyon. It was amazing, and the colors were striking. It was so peaceful, and I remember thinking to myself, how is it possible that we had never driven here before? This wonder is in our backyard and it was just so gorgeous. The Grand Canyon holds the colours of Arizona. 

It seems infinite, I remember seeing it and thinking about what it’s like to go down the Canyon. The words I have for the Canyon are infinite, and gratitude. I ended up taking my family, and my cousins after the first time I went because they had never been either. I remember my niece Andrea who was three years old at the time, asking us to listen to the air. Because you can hear the air, you can hear nature when you're there.  

HECHO: Why do you believe that the Grand Canyon should be protected?   

RT: First and foremost the Grand Canyon is sacred land for our indigenous communities, and second there is no Arizona without the Canyon. It's part of who we are, so it is our responsibility to protect it for our ancestors and for future generations to get to experience.

HECHO: Why do you advocate for the Grand Canyon?   

RT: The word iconic is not even big enough to encompass how much the Grand Canyon means to our communities. It is our legacy, it is who we are. Messing with the sacredness of it is unconscionable. Nature is something that we need to protect. 

HECHO: What are your thoughts about the administration’s policy aiming to open up the Grand Canyon watershed for uranium mining?   

RT: Uranium mining left a toxic legacy on community members living in the Grand Canyon, the Havasupai Tribe, and of course folks that drink the water from the Colorado are at risk. Uranium mining at the Grand Canyon is inexcusable. 

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