Three local non-profits – Beyond Toxics, Eugene-Springfield NAACP and NOWIA Unete Farm Worker Advocacy Center - have received a two year grant from the Collins Foundation.
The funds will enable all 3 groups to work towards a common goal of environmental justice.
The Collins Foundation is an Oregon-based philanthropic organization. The $90,000 grant will help support minority and low-income communities in Lane, Jackson and Josephine counties.
NAACP chapter president Eric Richardson says environmental injustice – including climate change – is a serious issue facing minority groups throughout the U.S.
Richardson: “This grant is an intentional effort to bridge the gap between the black and brown communities here in Oregon. To really try to connect the movements for racial equality to the movement for farm workers’ rights and immigration rights here in Oregon.”
Richardson says the money will primarily be used to pay a new bilingual staff person to work with all three grant recipients. The focus during its first year will be on bringing the diverse missions of these organizations – from racial and environmental justice to immigration rights – together into a single cohesive narrative.
