Why I Support Planet Women: Rowene Aguirre-Medina
Rowene Aguirre-Medina is a highly seasoned advocate, businessperson, communicator and “child of the Colorado River.” Her energy is sustained by a deep passion for the education and empowerment of women and girls. As a Planet Women Ambassador, Rowene supports and promotes Planet Women’s work. In this blog post, hear from Rowene about the urgent need to boost women’s power and protect nature—as well as insights from decades of advocacy. She says:
I have fought the fight along with my other sisters advocating for equity and education for women and girls for years. I’ve marched, lobbied, defended clinics, and been battered and bruised. I’m horrified that we have gone backwards. I’m concerned why I don’t hear more young voices. I want to protect them and their rights, I want to protect my grandchildren. I want to protect the environment. People don’t seem to understand the severity of what’s happening to the environment and I’m concerned about that. I was born and raised in the desert so I understand water and lack of water. I’m concerned that, for many, there’s no sense that water is a finite resource, there is no sense of the possibility of a lack of water.If there’s going to be peace, justice and equity anytime and in every place it will be because of women. War, using up all of our natural resources, alienating people we consider others—it’s just not the answer. We need to give women power. Women need to learn to advocate for themselves and others. They need to find safe places to practice building their advocacy skills; volunteering for what you are passionate about can be a good place to start that journeyThe message from women’s organizations needs to be loud, clear and upfront. We have the power to make a difference. It’s easy to get bogged down and just see all the dysfunction and forget that we have a mission, we have a message. We women have that power, Planet Women has the power, to make a difference and change the world in real, measurable ways.
Rowene Aguirre-Medina on a bench at the University of Arizona—a surprise from her husband Roy that honors Rowene, her great-grandmother Mamie, and Mamie's great-great-great-granddaughters (Rowene’s granddaughters) Adrianne and Gabrielle.
Rowene’s story
The roots of Rowene’s passion for equity and empowerment of women and girls are in her family tree. Rowene grew up on both the U.S. and Mexico sides of the Colorado River, immersed in both English and Spanish. “It’s a unique experience to grow up in a border town,” she says, noting the experience gave her a lifelong sensitivity to intercultural dynamics. Her great- grandmother was a schoolteacher who ended up teaching the first Spanish classes at the University of Arizona (UArizona). “Mamie” was one of their first female faculty members.
Rowene’s father worked in agriculture and was ahead of his time in his views of and advocacy for women. As a business owner, these views influenced his decisions. He said, “If I provide work for women, I can provide food for the children.” And, “If you want it done right, get a woman to do it.”
The importance of finding places to belong
As a young girl, Rowene declared she would go to college at the UArizona and “walk where Mamie walked”. When Rowene finally arrived on campus as a student, it was a culture shock from the small border high school she was used to. She found belonging in the speech communication department, which was one of the only departments headed by a woman. Today, UArizona remains close to Rowene’s heart. She and her husband fund a scholarship in the Spanish Department for Women Spanish Majors and a Professorship in the Department of Gender and Women Studies, and she serves as Advisory Board chair for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Another important organization where Rowene found a sense of belonging is the American Association of University Women (AAUW). During the years that Rowene lived in California, she found brilliant mentors who shared a passion for equity and education for women and girls. She says, “It was a safe environment in which I was able to grow.” Becoming Branch president, Rowene pushed her AAUW Branch to be loud and proud about being a pro-choice organization. Rowene’s leadership and strategic thinking helped rally her Branch members to get involved with a group that assisted at-risk teens and unplanned teen pregnancies. As a result, “we didn’t lose members because we talked about our concerns and differences and what we could do together to impact this issue.”
Rowene’s volunteerism continued after returning to Arizona, where she served on the board of the Sonoran Institute (SI). Planet Women granted funds to SI in 2022 and 2023 to support women leaders innovating ways to restore the Colorado River and its tributaries, from water conservation in the U.S. and habitat restoration in Mexico. Rowene connected with Planet Women through SI, and when she attended a Planet Women event in Tucson in 2022, she experienced that sense of belonging in this women-led organization: “I felt like I was home.”
Historic gathering provides new opportunities for Colorado River
Last year, Planet Women co-hosted the first Women & Water Convening, held in the Tohono O’odham Nation. The gathering aims to address water issues in the Colorado River Basin through inclusive, community-driven approaches. Women & Water brought together more than 80 people whose work is connected to Colorado River water issues, at the intersection of Indigenous knowledge and Western science, from both sides of the U.S./Mexico border.
Rowene was struck by the powerful cross-cultural discussions that drove home how vital the Colorado River is for many reasons— physical, cultural, spiritual, and communal. This historic gathering opened up future opportunities for attendees to collaborate and organize. “As women of the Basin, we need to be speaking with each other,” Rowene says. “I felt like a big step was made towards that goal at Women & Water.”
Rowene understands how important it is for women to collaborate to create social and environmental change. Of her life and work, she says:
“What helped me grow the most— more than my college education and everything else—was being involved with a group of dynamic women who had set a course to make a difference and to change the world. To learn from them and with them. And to teach the ones coming up behind me. I see that’s what Planet Women is about.”
Thank you, Rowene, for all you do for women and nature—and for Planet Women!