Activists in the Pacific Northwest have warned for years that communities of color and other marginalized groups are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change, and less well-positioned to take advantage of jobs and other benefits likely to result as the region s economy moves away from fossil fuels.
For evidence, look no further than the fire that ripped through Southern Oregon last September. People in the relatively affluent town of Ashland received faster and clearer warnings to evacuate than people in less-well-off neighboring towns Talent and Phoenix, say grassroots-organizing groups in the area.
It was only in Ashland, a wealthier area five miles down Interstate 5 from Talent, that residents were told to evacuate, activists said after the fire. Jackson County’s emergency alert system left out many communities, they said, including Talent, a community with mobile home parks and other low-income housing and a median household income of $40,400. Ashla
Analysis
Analysis Based on factual reporting, although it incorporates the expertise of the author/producer and may offer interpretations and conclusions.
Strengthening Communities and Shifting Power in Pursuit of a Just Transition
2019 cohort from the Just Energy Academy. Cosco Jones, a sustainability consultant, is pictured third from the left, second row.
Photo from Partnership for Southern Equity
How two grassroots, BIPOC-led coalitions are helping to democratize the climate justice space.
Feb 10, 2021
Cosco Jones is all about making good trouble. For this sustainability consultant, that means protesting Georgia Power the largest subsidiary of the biggest energy provider in the United States raising their monthly fees and imposing a mandatory fee on all ratepayers. In the city of Atlanta, the median energy burden (how much of a household’s income is spent on energy bills) is 3.5%. But for low income residents, the burden stands at 9.7%. That’s the third highest in the
began her journalistic training with the Maynard Institute of Journalism Education’s Oakland Voices. Currently as an independent journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area she covers all things social
Creatives in Place asks: What do artists need to survive and thrive in the Bay Area?
Iris M. Crawford
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Dolores “Lolis” Garcia is a musician who specializes in traditional Mexican musical styles and instruments and is one of the 22 Bay Area artists featured in Creatives in Place.Jean MelesaineShow MoreShow Less
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Yosimar Reyes, is a poet and activist in East San Jose whose work challenges the narrative of undocumented immigrants.Jean MelesaineShow MoreShow Less
How do we nurture reciprocity rather than transactional relationships in art? How do we sustain community through gentrification, a pandemic and revolution? What would it take to decolonize art? And what do creative and cultural communities need in order to stay rooted in the Bay Area?