LET TERS
HEY DEMS!
Just days after the election, the corporate
Democrats begin placating, posturing and
insisting on business as usual. “Business as
Usual” is killing the climate system.
Oregon’s Rep. Peter DeFazio said, “The
idea that in five years or 10 years we’re not
going to consume any more fossil fuels is
technologically impossible.”
His declaration was in response to Al-
exandria Ocasio-Cortez pushing a “Green
New Deal.” The Costa Rican diplomat to
the Paris Accord, Christina Figueres said,
“Impossible is not a fact. Impossible is an
attitude.”
“Leader” of the House Nancy Pelosi
talks of “bi-partisan cooperation” after two
years of legislation that has been slash, pil-
lage and plunder of the people. Why would
they do this? Guess the corporate Dems
don’t want to disturb their “bribes as usu-
al” donor support system.
When governments fail, the people
VIEWPOINT
must lead! Join whatever activist effort
you are willing to lay your body down for
and stick your courage to the sustained
struggle. For those not yet ready to join us?
When you do, the world will be as one. Get
involved! Extinction rebellion everyone?
Deb McGee
350Eugene volunteer
GET WITH IT, PETE
Within a week of the election, Oregon
Congressman Peter DeFazio is subverting
Democratic Representative-elect Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez and other representatives.
They are proposing to reduce fossil fuel use
100 percent by 2035 and getting to a 100 per-
cent renewable energy system, an ambitious
agenda but necessary to reduce carbon emis-
sions and prevent global warming.
DeFazio said: “The idea that in five
years or 10 years we’re not going to con-
sume any more fossil fuels is technologi-
cally impossible.”
Considering the congressman received
$74,420 in contributions from the fossil
fuel industry, it is not difficult to under-
stand his pessimistic comments.
The congressman needs to look no fur-
ther than his home district for leadership
in the worldwide campaign to rid ourselves
of fossil fuels: Our Children’s Trust, UO
Environmental Law professor Mary Wood,
the city of Eugene Climate Recovery Ordi-
nance and many more climate heroes.
Rep. DeFazio and the “old guard” need
to understand the urgency of now when it
comes to the world climate and the future
of fossil fuels. Changes must be made to
the political and financial system to pro-
mote renewables, reduce consumption
habits, administer carbon sequestration
and provide a safe environment for the fu-
ture seven generations.
I do not regret my support for DeFazio,
as he has done much for our region and
our nation. However, he needs to support
his colleagues in Congress aggressively
pushing for clean energy and an immediate
transition off fossil fuels.
Jim Neu
Eugene
TRAFFIC JAMMED
Too many streets are now jammed with
traffic! Thank you, Congressman Peter
DeFazio, for protesting the lousy planning
of our bridge reconstruction that cuts the
number of lanes in half.
Maybe if we could help with carpooling
and increased bus use we could reduce the
problem and also cut climate emissions? Is
this possible in Eugene? I plan to — will
you?
Ruth Duemler
Eugene
TRUMP ON FIRE
Trump’s comments, during the most
deadly fire in California history and while
firefighters are risking their lives, that the
BY LISA ARKIN
Fighting Racism
OREGON ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVE A TWO-YEAR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GRANT
A
marked upsurge of emboldened racist and biased attacks in Oregon has
many of us worried, even despairing about the state of our social ethics.
Into what moral abyss did some members of our community fall when
hate-filled graffiti was splashed across civic buildings named in honor
of Professor Ed Coleman, a local leader of our black community? How
did it become “the new normal” to need armed security officers guarding the local
synagogue during the recent Jewish High Holy Days? Why in Oregon was it so easy to
collect more than enough signatures to place Measure 105, an anti-immigrant measure,
on the November 2018 ballot?
Having lived in Oregon for thirty years, I have never seen this level of hatred ex-
pressed in our community. Not even close.
As an antidote to this appalling trend, the organization I lead, Beyond Toxics, along
with the Eugene-Springfield NAACP and Medford-based Unete Farm Worker Advo-
cacy Center, were awarded a two-year $90,000 grant. We are three diverse, now united,
Oregon nonprofits dedicated to solving racial injustice.
The Collins Foundation, an Oregon-based philanthropic organization, is supporting
our project “Intersectional Collaboration for Environmental Justice,” serving Latino,
African-American and other vulnerable communities as well as low-income, rural resi-
dents in Lane, Jackson and Josephine counties. The purpose of the grant is to build a
deeper understanding and greater support for racial and environmental justice values
in Oregon.
We recognize that, in these extraordinary times, we are called upon to be intentional
about the way we connect issues of racial, immigrant and environmental justice. To
combat the distressing drift towards intolerance and hatred, we must emphasize the
commonality and interconnectedness of these struggles. We can do this through the
specialized and unique skills and expertise each organization brings to the table.
As Oregon’s lead environmental justice organization with offices in Lane and Jack-
son counties, Beyond Toxics is dedicated to ending persistent environmental risks that
daily weigh upon vulnerable communities. This approach connects us with our partner
organizations. For more than six years, Beyond Toxics and Unete have collaborated
on environmental justice and farm worker issues. The NAACP and Beyond Toxics
successfully co-proposed a “Resolution on Human Rights and Climate Change” to the
Eugene City Council, and we supported NAACP’s Climate Justice Rally and Lobby
Day at Oregon’s State Capitol.
Our organizations may serve diverse communities, yet Beyond Toxics, NAACP
and Unete find we have the potential for incredible cross-organizational reciprocity.
Ultimately, our goal is to build infrastructure in our communities to stand up to policies
of injustice, discrimination and economic disparities.
The wise words of our co-organizer Eric Richardson, president of the Eugene-
Springfield NAACP, speak to this reciprocity and power. “True movement building
4
November 21, 2018 • eugeneweekly.com
calls for diverse groups to work together despite differing perspectives,” Richardson
said. “This innovative project seeks to open up new lines of communication and col-
laboration between the Latino and Black communities understanding our shared strug-
gle for a safe, welcoming, accountable society.”
According to the City of Eugene’s 6th annual Hate and Bias Crime Report, our
community experienced a 70 percent hike in reports of hate and bias attacks in 2017,
compared to 2016: 139 incidents versus the previous high of 82 reported hate and bias
crimes. Race is the leading motivating factor reported to the police in these crimes.
Shocking statistics like these serve to remind us that racism is all around us, degrad-
ing the quality of our lives every day. I believe racism survives and thrives when the
dominant culture keeps us separated and suspicious of one another.
Insidiously, the powerful elite stoke fear within communities of color over access
to jobs, education, housing and more. Struggling to overcome this system keeps us
distracted from grappling with who gains from tearing communities apart. Racism
and bias can also show up in ways as subtle as environmental injustice, a pattern of
devastating pollution and disease falling upon the neighborhoods also suffering from
social inequality.
Racism thrives in soil that nourishes it. The collaborative project funded by the Col-
lins grant will help our three organizations deepen our relationships and combine our
diverse strategies to strengthen communities of color to build an environmental justice
movement. Focusing on cross-cultural, cross-racial, and cross-geographic movement
building, we gain the strength needed to better fight oppression. Together, we envi-
sion creating a cultural shift that grows directly out of the experiences of those most
impacted.
Traditionally, the burden of changing this system has been placed on the very com-
munities who are targeted by racist policies, yet they have the least resources and polit-
ical clout to deal with imposed injustices. Removing these burdens begins by building
community leadership to advance justice.
This takes intentional and collaborative work. Between our three organizations,
we organize youth, low-income residents, immigrants, rural communities, workers of
color and people of color who are the most marginalized and affected by environmen-
tal racism and inequity. By combining our experiences and strengths and by utilizing
our networks and alliances, we’ll have a better vantage point to see the next steps we
must take to overcome systemic discrimination.
The funding from the Collins Foundation grant is essential to our small non-profits
collaborating for the needed brave and tenacious work that lies ahead: advancing the
cause of environmental justice in Oregon. ■
Lisa Arkin is executive director of Beyond Toxics, which promotes environmental justice engagement and community-
based environmental grassroots organizing to ensure environmental protection and health for all communities.