On this Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, Front and Centered sees the brightest future ahead because in 2021 our frontline communities bravely showed us pathways to a Just Transition. Our team grew in size and impact, our coalition leadership voices were amplified over 50 times across local and national media, and new partnerships were leveraged to advance and connect our local-to-national climate and environmental justice movement connections.
The pandemic persists, but our community leaders throughout the state and across eleven counties inspired us as they delivered on their diverse missions, serving and working alongside thousands of constituents with emergent and ongoing needs. Coalition members provided farm workers with workplace support in Northwest and Central Washington, gave leadership guidance to Puget Sound youth to restore their future through a resilient river, raised awareness about successful reentry and environmental justice in Spokane, installed solar panels on the first of many Black-led churches in Pierce County, and held the line against wildfire destruction of food sovereignty programming for the Young Warrior Society in Colville.
We are honored that community groups are in coalition through Front and Centered with a shared sense of urgency to spotlight environmental inequities and advance climate justice now.
Our Top 10 Highlights of the Year
- Realized the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act, a landmark environmental justice law that centers communities most affected by pollution as Washington transitions to a green economy
- Developed a Transportation Advocacy Strategy that centers equity and climate justice
- Advanced Clean Energy Transformation Act implementation and other energy policies for a Just Transition, to ensure equity in access and clean energy transitions
- Launched numerous Research and Development Collaborations to advance data driven approaches and community co-created policies and tools
- Co-Hosted Washington State’s Inaugural Just Transition in Action Summit with the People’s Economy Lab
- Provided community funding for new and existing coalition members that again surpassed prior years, with over $350,000 directly supporting community groups throughout the state
- Produced “Earth Deserves More than a Day” cinema and community radio education series
- Reported from the streets and halls of the United Nations Climate Conference, producing a podcast series “Crash #COP26”
- Collaborated to develop Just Transition economic initiatives, launching Just Futures Initiative and concluding the New Economy Fellowship Program
- Amplified the voices of our community leaders, and advanced the message of a Just Transition with over a dozen community briefings, earning coverage of our view from the frontlines in local and national media
As the year draws to a close, we thank our friends, allies, and supporters for your confidence in our coalition. Front and Centered invites you to support our work with an end-of-year donation and engage with us in the new year as we seek to realize the brightest future.
Happy New Year!
Aurora and Deric, CoExecutive Directors, and the Front and Centered Team
