Case Study
Richmond Case Study
May 03, 2018
Victories & Momentum on the Frontlines: The Chevron Refinery Campaign in Richmond, California
Across the country frontline communities are waging inspiring struggles for healthy communities, economic justice, and the right to control development processes that impact their communities. Often severely under-resourced, grassroots leaders have won major environmental and climate justice victories that have yet to be fully appreciated by the broader public. To amplify the history and groundbreaking work performed by the grassroots organizing sector, the Building Equity and Alignment Initiative has launched the Victories and Momentum on the Frontlines case study series. Each case study in the series reveals the environmental assaults faced by frontline communities that are often inhabited by people of color and low income families. The series also showcases the ways that grassroots organizations and allies have overcome immense political challenges precisely through their transformative commitment to the communities they serve, and to principled forms of solidarity. Due to these principles of alignment and the lessons learned over decades of organizing, grassroots leaders have shut down polluting factories, anchored the passage of historic pieces of legislation, held regulatory agencies accountable to vulnerable communities, and provided compelling visions of a new economy and political culture. The Victories and Momentum on the Frontlines case study series ensures that the stories of grassroots victories receive proper attention thus contributing to a more holistic understanding of grassroots power and community organizing.