The Solidarity Organizing Program was formed in Fall 2014 because the environmental movement has long ignored, undervalued, and discriminated against non-white and/or poorer people and communities. CSSC began addressing practices in our own organization and worked to collect and spread best practices in the organizing sphere.
UC Davis Fall 2014 Convergence, Theme: ACTT (Act Collectively, Transition Together: Systems for Justice), Attendance: 550-600 [Part of the Fossil Freedom Solidarity Organizing Program Pilot]
Here’s what we’ve done to reduce our internal oppressive practices:
- Put projects, theories, and voices from people of color, LGBTQIA people and socio-economically disadvantaged people, and disabled people in front at our convergences at UC Davis, De Anza Community College, and UC Berkeley. Diversity was emphasized in keynotes and workshops. The planning leadership team also improved their inclusive practices.
- Re-evaluated our community norms, recruitment practices, and hiring methods. We aim to provide leadership development tools and positions to marginalized people.
- Offered anti-oppression trainings to our students leaders, staff, and board of advisor members at leadership retreats. These trainings and resources are also available to campuses and communities.
- Paid a diverse group of student and young professional organizers to develop new training tools and workshops.
- Increased our documentation of member identities to understand areas for improvement.
Here’s are resources from our partner organizations, collaborators, and organizations we admire:
- Power Shift Network Anti-Oppression Curriculum and Resource Bank (https://powershift.org/campaigns/environmental-justice/resources/anti-oppression-resource-bank)
- Aorta Cooperative’s training resources (http://aorta.coop/resources/)
- Organizing for Power’s training resources (http://organizingforpower.org/anti-oppression-resources-exercises/)
- Article: The Unsustainable Whiteness of Green (http://grist.org/feature/the-unsustainable-whiteness-of-green/?utm_content=buffer06ec4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer)
If you or your organization want to share resources to add to this list, contact [email protected].
Fall 2015 Leadership Retreat at UC Hastings Reserve. Jackie Fawn (Attendee, second to right) guided us in a solidarity pose for the Apache Stronghold. 45+ attendees trained in Campaign Organizing and Anti-Oppression.
Here are some great student organization aimed at environmentally/sustainability minded people of color:
- People of Color Sustainability Collective at UC Santa Cruz (https://pocsc.ucsc.edu/)
- Environmental Justice for Underrepresented Communities at UC Davis (https://www.facebook.com/ejucatucd/)
- Students of Color Environmental Collective at UC Berkeley (https://www.facebook.com/SoCEnvironmentalCollective/)
If you or your campus want to be featured on this directory, contact [email protected].