Xiye Bastida Patrick[3] (born 18 April 2002) is a Mexican climate activist and member of the
IndigenousOtomi community.[4] She is one of the major organizers of
Fridays for Future New York City and has been a leading voice for indigenous and immigrant visibility in climate activism.[5] She is on the administration committee of the
People's Climate Movement and a former member of
Sunrise Movement and
Extinction Rebellion. She cofounded Re-Earth Initiative, an international
nonprofit organization that is inclusive and
intersectional “just as the climate movement should be.”
Xiye is pronounced "she-yeh", [ʃi-jɛ], meaning not available.
Early life
Bastida was born in
Atlacomulco, Mexico, to parents Mindahi[6] and Geraldine, who are also environmentalists,[7] and raised in the town of
San Pedro Tultepec in
Lerma.[8][9] Her father is of
Otomi descent while her Chilean mother has Celtic ancestry.[10][11] Bastida currently holds dual Mexican and Chilean citizenship.[12]
Bastida and her family moved to
New York City after extreme flooding hit their hometown of San Pedro Tultepec in 2015 following three years of drought.[13]
Bastida gave a speech on Indigenous Cosmology at the 9th
United Nations World Urban Forum, and was awarded the “Spirit of the UN” award in 2018.[16]
Bastida led her high school,
The Beacon School,[14] in the first major climate strike in
New York City, on 15 March 2019.[17] She and
Alexandria Villaseñor officially greeted Thunberg upon her
arrival from Europe by boat in September 2019 to attend the UN Climate Summit.[18] Xiye has been coined "America's
Greta Thunberg" however has said that "calling youth activists the ‘Greta Thunberg’ of their country diminishes Greta's personal experience and individual struggles".[19][20]
Teen Vogue released a documentary short We Rise on Bastida in December 2019.[21] Bastida has also collaborated with 2040 film to create a short video called Imagine the Future exploring what landscapes and cityscapes could look like in the future.
Bastida contributed to All We Can Save, an anthology of women writing about climate change.[22] She recently spoke at the Leadership Summit on Climate hosted by the
Biden Administration, delivering a speech urging world leaders to participate more in climate activism.[23]
While unable to vote in the United States as she is not an American citizen, Bastida indicated support for Massachusetts Senator
Elizabeth Warren in the
2020 presidential election, although stressing the bipartisanship of the climate movement.[12]
Awards and honors
In 2023, Bastida was recognized on
Time Magazine's TIME100 Next list which recognizes rising leaders across multiple fields[24]
In 2018, Bastida was awarded the “Spirit of the UN” award[16]