Racial justice is climate justice
ReBuilding Center acknowledges that Black, Indigenous, and communities of color are most affected by the impacts of this climate crisis.
ReBuilding Center also recognizes that the traditional, white-dominant environmental sector continues to disproportionately exclude these very communities from building power and accessing services and investments designed to tackle our ever expanding climate crises, and that most environmental movements would not have succeeded without contributions and sacrifices made by Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.
If, as one of the leading Portland-area reuse organizations, we are to contribute to a more environmentally resilient and just world for all, we must amplify the voices, ideas, and solutions of people most impacted by overconsumption and wasteful materials management systems. To do this successfully, both racial equity and environmental justice must inform our mission and service delivery.
The mission of ReBuilding Center is to make reuse and repair accessible and affordable for all as a means to build an alternative, less extractive economy that supports climate justice. We understand that in order to accomplish this mission we must examine all elements of our organization through a racial equity lens and be willing to reimagine all parts of ourselves and our relationship with the communities we serve. To enact this journey we are committed to:
Centering the needs, voices, and concerns of BIPOC, low-income and other excluded communities in the design and delivery of our work, including our store, our programs, and our public events
Attracting, supporting, and retaining employees that represent the communities we prioritize in our service delivery
Practicing and modeling bravery by acknowledging and working to disrupt internal and external systems of oppression
Supporting organizations that are led by Black, Indigenous, and people of color
Committing to the ongoing practice of functioning as an actively anti-racist organization
We acknowledge that the work toward racial and climate justice is an ongoing process. We consider this to be a living document, and we welcome and encourage feedback.