Incorporating environmental justice, racial justice, and equity into our organization and work is critical to achieve our mission and as we strengthen our relationships with partners who work on climate action, social justice, and equal access to voting in Washington state. We do this by:
- Approaching our work with a racial justice lens that prioritizes solutions from impacted communities and puts them at the center of decision-making
- Identifying and dismantling institutional racism within our organizational practices, policies, and procedures
- Engaging our members in conversation and reflection on racial and environmental justice to strengthen the broad, diverse movement for environmental justice
Due in large part to the environmental movement being historically white-led, environmental protection has led to unequal results, with most benefits going to white communities. This has resulted in a present-day landscape of environmental injustice where communities of color and native and indigenous communities bear the largest burden of pollution and environmental degradation. If the mainstream environmental movement does not actively work to dismantle white supremacy, we will continue to uphold the racist systems in which we work.
Racial Equity Action Plan
Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters staff has developed an internal Racial Equity Action Plan with the following four pillars:
- Organizational Culture
- Coalitions and Partnerships
- Member Education and Outreach
- Human Resources
See our Racial Justice Glossary >>
See our Strategic Plan here >>
Historically White-Led Environmental Organizations: Equity Learning Community >>
WEC and WCV Racial Justice Mission Statement
As historically white-led environmental organizations that still hold structural power today, WEC and WCV are committed to dismantling systemic racism and advancing racial equity and environmental justice in all we do. We work with the understanding that the same beliefs, practices, and systems that create and perpetuate interpersonal and institutional racism, also create and perpetuate environmental destruction. Solving one cannot be done without solving the other. There is no environmental justice without racial justice and economic justice. Until we do this, we cannot fully achieve our mission.