South End Gem Awards | Maria Batayola: Leading With Love and Justice in Beacon Hill

In celebration of T'Challaween, the South Seattle Emerald is highlighting heroes across the South End who have devoted themselves to making the community a thriving, safe, and vibrant place.

On Oct. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m., the Emerald will host our annual trick-or-treat costume parade. The event is to recognize the heroes in our family, among our friends, and throughout our community.

To honor the heroes in our own backyard, the Emerald is highlighting a few community members this week.

Maria Batayola's parents were both community organizers in the Philippines. Her house was a hub where her family hosted faith classes and distributed rice and milk to the community. Now, she's known as the "unofficial mayor of Beacon Hill." Her work, ranging in issues from tree canopies to affordable housing, is based on deep knowledge and relationships in the community.

Batayola came to the U.S. with her family when she was 14 years old. Her family lived in other parts of the city before she made the decision to move to South Seattle. She said she fell in love with the community because of its warmth and inclusiveness.

"I missed the people who look like me, so when I learned about Beacon Hill … I beelined my way over here and have just really loved it," Batayola said. "This is, to me, as close as heaven could be."

As a community builder, she describes her work as "trying to figure out the power and balance" and ensuring that it's balanced for the most vulnerable communities so they can thrive.

Betty Jean Williamson, board president of Beacon Arts, has frequently worked with Batayola and describes her as someone who is tenacious, courageous, and politically savvy.

"She does not back down," Williamson said. "She's a known force in the community. If you want something to get done or you want to be taken seriously, she's a very good person to have on your side."

The majority of Batayola's advocacy is around environmental justice and looking at the effects of the noise and air pollution caused by the landing pathways of planes flying into the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and the King County International Airport.

The lack of policy and programs to address environmental issues has led to people of color experiencing higher rates of air pollution and asthma. In Beacon Hill, 75% of the population is made up of people of color.

When she first started organizing, she said people doubted that any change could be made. Batayola said people questioned whether they could affect the airline industry and its impacts on vulnerable communities. Community members were hearing "if you don't like it here, why don't you move?"

Through her community engagement, Batayola said she asked people, "If you had a magic wand, what would you want?" This question led to the creation of a community action plan to address the environmental health issues in Beacon Hill.

Batayola's own magic wand wish for Beacon Hill would include freezing the outside forces "from disrupting us for a little bit." She said this would allow community members to create a vision for the community, beyond responding in self-defense.

Through her advocacy, Batayola has helped expand the mitigation area for communities impacted by airport noise and air pollution, influenced local and state legislation around environmental justice issues, and organized community science initiatives. She also hopes to empower young people and ensure diverse voices are included in decision-making.

Batayola's community organizing has landed her in leadership and advisory roles at organizations such as the Beacon Hill Council, El Centro De La Raza, and more.

Outside of organizing, Batayola enjoys the arts. She was an actress when she was younger and is a singer in her church choir.

Batayola is someone whose joy, friendliness, and warmth fill the room. She said she wishes people took more time to celebrate.

"Particularly now, we need to do radical joy and radical rest," Batayola said with a smile.

This is the second in a series of profiles celebrating T'Challaween's South End Gem Award honorees. Our previous South End Gem Award honorees were the business owners of The Station coffee shops. Tomorrow: the high school basketball coach who's mentored dozens of students.