As Oregon ramps up its efforts to become a 100% clean energy state by 2040, a coalition of nonprofits is paving the way for communities of color to be active players in building a regenerative economy. With a Justice Oregon for Black Lives collaborative grant from Meyer, Leaders Become Legends (LBL), Constructing Hope and NWXcelerator are creating green technology pathways with people who have been historically excluded from such opportunities.
For this coalition, climate justice and reparative justice go hand-in-hand. Many of their program participants are men who have been impacted by the criminal legal system and young people navigating street violence. By partnering with the collaborative, not only do participants gain a foothold in the green workforce, they also build a new sense of purpose and self-efficacy.
“This isn’t about job placement,” Bretto Jackson, co-executive director of LBL, said. “It’s about bringing back information for our community, building intergenerational wealth and how to heal from 400 years of oppression.”
For Martín Minjarez, the coalition has been a lifeline. In and out of the system since his youth, he knows how difficult it is to move beyond the binds of incarceration. After finishing his sentence last year, he immediately connected with LBL for a chance at a different life. They welcomed him, connecting him with career coaching and financial planning management in addition to trauma-informed therapy and an opportunity to complete his GED. Now a participant of the collaborative’s Green Energy Program, Martín leads a solar installation crew at Imagine Energy, one of Oregon’s longest standing clean energy companies.
On his days off, he enjoys helping Green Energy Program participants with another of the coalition’s projects: a holistic career advancement center in Gresham.
While attaching studs to floor joists for what will become a communal kitchen, program participants check in with each other. They may come from different backgrounds, but what they hold in common bonds them: a desire to ascend the shackles of their environment.
“A lot of guys getting out of prison don't think they're going to be successful in life,” Martín said. “After working together on renovating the building one day, we realized we’re actually part of something that will impact someone’s life besides our own.”
The coalition has big plans for the center. They envision it as an entrepreneurial hub where clients can become whole, grow in their careers and give back to their community.
This project, while new, has also earned support from the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF), which prioritizes climate action for communities of color, low-income neighborhoods and people living with disabilities.
“Typically, people are more invested in something when they are also direct participants,” Pat Schellerup, principal & director of business operations at Imagine Energy, said. “Expanding the workforce overall is needed to support Oregon’s, and the world’s, climate change goals. To accomplish this, it’s important the workforce is representative of the most impacted communities.”
In Oregon, less than 11% of the green energy workforce is BIPOC. As our state and country turn to renewable energy sources, there is an opportunity for the communities hit hardest by climate change to be a real part of the solution. If we are to build a just economy, communities of color must be central to what will be one of the most significant transformations in U.S. history.