350PDX Weekly Update – Black History Month – Feb 26 2020

Hi everyone,

In recognition of Black History Month, this is an important time to reflect on the past and future of the environmental and climate justice movements for Communities of Color. We thank and acknowledge all of the black leaders and unsung black people that have suffered or died to progress our cause that paved the way for activists today. Black and Brown communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis are being hit first and worst. Communities of Color have been fighting for racial justice, economic justice, and environmental justice for hundreds of years, and so have a deep, longstanding understanding of the solutions to those interconnected crises.

Our frontline partners are building a #JustTransition away from extractive systems of production, consumption and political oppression, and towards resilient, regenerative and equitable economies.

Last week Portland NAACP, OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, and Climate Justice Alliance teamed up for a national conversation about Climate Justice in Black and Brown communities. It’s really worth a watch, check it out here!

Here’s your 350PDX weekly update.

Requests

• Join our Accessibility Committee!

  Are you interested in helping 350PDX become more accessible to people with disabilities and people whose primary language is not English? Apply to join the Accessibility Committee! Committee members will lead in creating an Accessibility Policy to launch in 2021. The Committee will meet March – October, 2020. Thank you!

• Social Media Intern wanted!​

  We’re looking for an intern to help us develop and implement a social media strategy which will amplify our work, advance our campaigns, and help us build the big, beautiful movement that we need. Interested? Know someone who might be? Check out details and apply here!

Opportunities

• Zenith 5 On Trial

  TODAY & TOMORROW Tues Feb 25 – Thurs Feb 27, 8:30AM – 6:00PM @ Multnomah County Courthouse: 1021 SW 4th Avenue – Facebook event here
  **If you want to attend please act respectfully and do not present as an activist so as to not be accused of influencing the jury (i.e. leave your red clothes and Stop Zenith buttons at home)**
  Five XR PDX activists go on trial beginning Monday, February 24th, at 8:30 a.m. at the Multnomah County Courthouse for allegedly building a victory-over-climate-change garden on the railroad yard and track at Zenith Energy Corporation (see news article here). The trial is expected to last several days, probably finishing on Thursday. Defendants intend to call expert witnesses to testify to the imminent harms from the continued use and export of fossil fuels, as well as to the reasonableness of the defendants’ actions in light of the current impediments to reducing carbon emissions – in other words they are using the necessity defense, the first time this defense has been used in Oregon.

• Fire Drill Fridays

  Fri Feb 28, 12:00PM – 1:00PM @ Portland City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave, PortlandEvery Friday folks are assembling outside City Hall in an energetic and colorful vigil to keep the pressure on Mayor Ted Wheeler to shut down the Zenith tar sands terminal in NW Portland, and to raise awareness from people and cars passing by. More info here.

• Wet’suwet’en Solidarity Rally

  Sun Mar 1, 3:15PM – 5:15PM @ Northernmost Tom McCall Park (West side esplanade by Steel Bridge) Facebook event here.The events of this month on Wet’suwet’en territory have been an extreme demonstration of colonial violence, approved in contravention of Wet’suwet’en, Canadian and international law. We encourage all supporters to stand strong in solidarity with this struggle. It is far from over. Read more here.

• Fight for YouthPass in Clackamas County

  Mon Mar 2, 5:30PM – 8:00PM @ Clackamas Community College Harmony Campus, 7738 SE Harmony Rd, MilwaukieTransportation is our region’s highest source of climate pollution, accounting for ~40% of our carbon emissions. It is also one of the few emissions sources that is increasing rather than decreasing! For the past year we have been pressuring Metro to make sure their $3 billion transportation package is transformative in bringing down emissions, and in tackling the racial and social inequities that our region suffers from.

  We now have a chance to make sure one such transformative proposal makes it into the package – YouthPass4All. We’re looking for transit-dependent youth in Clackamas County to show up and testify for YouthPass! 

  More info and talking points here. Everyone welcome, and those most impacted – transit-dependent youth – especially encouraged to attend and testify.

• PIELC – Public Interest Environmental Law Conference
  Thurs Mar 5 – Sun Mar 8 @ University of Oregon, Eugene
  Free and open to the public – registration is required and here
  Every year activists, attorneys, students, scientists and community members gather in Eugene for three days of keynote addresses, workshops, films, celebrations and over 100 panels. This year, PIELC will host a conversation about migration on a changing planet.

  The stated goal for PIELC 2020 is to bring a focused perspective on how environmental change impacts migrations. They hope participants leave with an understanding of the role of public interest law and policy in developing collaborative approaches to these challenges.

• Defund / Divest Team Bi-Monthly Meeting
  Thurs Mar 5, 6:45PM – 8:15PM @ 350PDX, 1820 NE 21st Ave, Portland

  Join the Defund/Divest Team planning for the April 23 Earth Day Finance Actions.They are meeting twice a month until Earth Day. Read more about what this team does and how to get involved!

• Portland Mayoral Climate and Environmental Justice Debate
  Sun Mar 8, 6:00PM – 9:00PM @ Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St, Portland
  Together with Sunrise PDX and Harriet Tubman Middle School Environmental Club, we are co-hosting a Mayoral candidate climate and environmental justice forum. Confirmed so far are Incumbent Mayor Ted Wheeler, Sarah Iannarone, and Teressa Raiford. This is going to be a huge chance for the people of this city to see where our mayoral candidates stand on climate and environmental justice. There’s an 800 seat capacity so invite the young people in your life to come along with you. Get your tickets here!
• 350PDX General Meeting
  Tues Mar 10, 6:00PM – 8:00PM @ 350PDX, 1820 NE 21st Ave , Portland

  Join us for our monthly general meeting, where we’ll have an interactive deep dive into a campaign, hear organization announcements, and hear an update about each of our teams. We’re still working out the agenda but it’ll likely be a planning meeting for Earth Day, particularly focusing on our campaign against Chase Bank.

  The meeting begins with a community potluck, so feel free to bring a dish or snacks to share, but you can also just bring yourself!

  We close the meeting with Teams Tabling, which is your chance to go and chat with members of all our teams to see what they’re up to and how you can get involved. See you there! This meeting is every month on the second Tuesday, 6:00-8:00PM.

• 350PDX Conflict Management Training
  Tues Mar 17 and Tues Mar 24, 6:00PM – 9:00PM @ 350PDX, 1820 NE 21st Ave , Portland

  Conflict is everywhere and unavoidable, especially in situations where people are in states of high emotional and existential stress (i.e. the entire climate movement all the time). Conflict can either be a force that slows us down (when we ignore it and it festers, or we deal with it badly), or a catalyst for growth and learning. It depends on how we deal with it! Join us for this training where we learn how to deal with conflict in a healthy productive way! RSVP and more info here. Ideally you’d attend both sessions, but if you’re really keen and can only attend one then that’s OK too.

Thank you all for the work that you do, here’s to ten years of radical positive change,
Chris – 350PDX Volunteer & Communications Manager