1 Book/1 Project/2 Transform

Join MSU Denver, the Department of Chicana/o Studies, and the 1 Book/1 Project/2 Transform program on April 14 & 15, 2026 for a powerful two-day series of events with Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson, authors of We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People. Nenquimo, an Indigenous leader of the Waorani Nation of Ecuador and TIME 100 honoree, and Anderson, co-founder of Amazon Frontlines, share their story of resistance, environmental justice, and cultural survival. 

This year’s Richard T. and Virginia M. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship and the 1Book/1Project/2Transform Program celebrates Indigenous voices and global movements for environmental and social transformation. Events will include campus discussions, community panels, and a public keynote with cultural performances. These events are open to all MSU Denver students, faculty, staff, and the broader community.

This year, the MSU Denver community joins together around We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson—a powerful story of resistance, identity, and environmental justice in the Amazon. Nenquimo, a celebrated Indigenous leader from the Waorani Nation of Ecuador, and Anderson, co-founder of the nonprofit Amazon Frontlines, share a transformative memoir that calls readers to reimagine our relationship with the Earth and each other. 

The visit is presented in collaboration with the Richard T. and Virginia M. Castro Distinguished Professorship, reflecting our shared commitment to social transformation, environmental stewardship, and amplifying global Indigenous voices. 

NEMONTE NENQUIMO is a Waorani woman, mother, and climate leader, who has dedicated her life to the defense of Indigenous ancestral territory and cultural survival in the Amazon rainforest. She is the co-founder of Ceibo Alliance and Amazon Frontlines, and has won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize.

MITCH ANDERSON is an environmental justice activist, human rights defender, writer, photographer, and father. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of Amazon Frontlines, a non-profit organization based in the Upper Amazon, which has been awarded the Hilton Humanitarian Prize in recognition of its outstanding work.