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Can you tell us about Front & Centered’s mission and how your work impacts communities in Washington?
Front and Centered is a diverse and powerful coalition of communities of color-led groups across Washington State who come together to advance equity, climate justice, and environmental justice. Through our capacity building, leadership support, research and development, policy analysis, and advocacy, we are the largest and most powerful coalition of “frontline communities”—a.k.a. communities of color, Indigenous peoples, migrants and refugees, and people with lower incomes—who are advancing climate and environmental justice in Washington State. We work to advance a Just Transition away from the extractive economy causing climate and environmental crises, toward the healthy, thriving communities we need. To do this, we prioritize the redirection of power and resources toward communities on the frontlines of the crises, and we build the necessary foundations for livelihoods rooted in care, culture, and cooperation. Using this approach, we increase well-being for all Washingtonians by passing groundbreaking environmental laws, redirecting millions of dollars and other key resources to environmental justice, and advancing community-directed strategies to limit pollution and correct environmental health disparities.
What drew you to Labour Temple as your office space, and how has being part of this community supported your organization’s goals?
One of the key features that drew us to make our home at the Labour Temple was the wide variety of spaces, from smaller meeting rooms and lounging areas to larger gathering spaces, that were available to us inside the building. As an organization that connects and empowers around sixty community-based organizations within our statewide coalition, having a place where we could not only work but also convene our coalition members for meetings and events both large and small was really important to us. Last fall we held out annual summit inside the Labour Temple, and it was so lovely to be able to host such a large, statewide gathering of our coalition in the same place where we work—and all with the support and guidance of Labour Temple staff!
What’s a current project or initiative you're most excited about, and how can our community support or get involved?
Right now, with the Washington State legislative session in full swing, we're really excited about two bills we're trying to pass: the first one would establish a statewide assistance program for energy bills, while the second one—which we affectionately call the CURB (Cumulative Risk Burden) Pollution Act—would stop the addition or expansion of polluting facilities in communities that already deal with high rates of pollution. The best way for the community to support or get involved is to join our mailing list, because that is where we send out periodic updates on our work, as well as calls to action for when we need people to show their support for the bills we want to pass. Anyone can join our mailing list at FrontAndCentered.Org and they can also learn more about these two bills we're trying to pass, as well as the other work we do, on our website.
Learn more about Front & Centered: www.frontandcentered.org