Washington State – 225 leaders of color gather at Front and Centered’s Statewide Environmental Justice Summit

On Jan. 11 and Jan. 12, Front and Centered hosted our Statewide Environmental Justice Summit at University of Washington’s (UW’s) Alder Auditorium. We were inspired by the response, maxing out Summit capacity at 225 participants. Never before have this many leaders of color and indigenous leaders across our state gathered in one space for two days specifically to connect on local environmental justice and climate issues.

Coming from Yakima, Bellingham, and Tacoma to Seattle, participants took this rare opportunity to gather new tools and connect our efforts to restore our environment and the health of our people. The Summit came on the heels of a groundbreaking year for advocates of color in environmental justice. We helped author the nation’s most progressive climate policy, Initiative 1631, a fee on polluters to equitably fund clean energy solutions, create jobs and clean our air. We shifted the narrative to the front lines of climate change where our communities disproportionately suffer the worst environmental impacts.

https://frontandcentered.org/front-and-centered-ej-summit-2019/