WHAT IS A JUST TRANSITION?

A Just Transition: A framework developed to aid in the economic shift away from extractive economies & oppressive systems, such as the oil and gas industry, prisons, policing, and surveillance, towards more sustainable regenerative economies & systems of care, such as green jobs, behavioral health crisis responses, and community based solutions to mass incarceration. A Just Transition builds economic and political power to support marginalized communities such as: formerly incarcerated, Immigrant, Black, Indigenous, rural, communities of color and areas of high need. The Just Transition framework seeks to provide solutions that includes but is not limited to labor, jobs, land use, sustainability and economic stability.

Why is A Just Transition Important?

The status quo has had a devastating impact on our communities resulting in stagnant wages, high unemployment, and the over-policing and imprisonment of Black and marginalized communities. There needs to be a shift in economic and political power towards regenerative economies that future generations will not have to dismantle. A Just Transition is a collective, vision led movement that focuses on investing money in job training and holistic healing, and divesting money from systems that harm us and our world, rather than help us. Carceral systems receive billions of local, state, and federal dollars to criminalize Black and other marginalized communities and upkeep systems of abuse. Funding can be more well utilized to create job opportunities, support local and state economies, and support the creation of a world free from cages.

We adhere to the principles and values below: 

• Anti-racist Processes:  We believe in not replicating oppressive systems and behaviors.

• Racial Justice: Systematic fair treatment of people of all races, resulting in equitable opportunity and pay rates for cis, trans, and Black and Brown people, decriminalization of labor, dismantling unfair qaulifications for workforces and proiritizing lived experiences. 

•  Gender Justice: Systematic fair treatment of people of all genders, resulting in equitable pay rates for cis, trans, and Black and Brown people, decriminalization of labor, dismantling unfair qualifications for all workforces and prioritizing lived experiences. 

• Interdependency: Collective decision making and envisioning of a just and fair transition. 

• Sustainability-Economic and Environmental: the ability to maintain or support a process continuously over time without creating or perpetuating harm to current or future generations.

OUR APPROACH

• Prioritizing Mutual Aid: Systems of care created and led by community vs relying on centralized power and government.

• Supporting folks who are leaving extractive workforces/ economies: belief  that everyone should have a thriving wage that meets their needs without replicating systems of harm. A just transition must address and provide a pathway for transformative justice and healing as part of any re-training for folks transitioning out of those systems.

• Eliminating barriers to employment: Everyone has a right to dignified work and contributing to systems of care. We should actively seek ways to eliminate barriers to employment that have historically targeted marginalized communities such as but not limited to:  

  1. Formerly incarcerated people

  2. Systems of racism and discrimination in hiring practices

  3. Lack of childcare access

  4. Lack of healthcare access, or accessibility to medical leave

• Moving away from a capitalist system: In the long term we hope to move away from systems rooted in the exploitation of workers and history of slavery, where everyone has what they need to thrive and in response to the immediate needs of our communities. 

• Investing in our Future: The current systems have not been working and have harmed us on both individual, collective and environmental levels, we are aiming to build a future where these current problems do not exist.

ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS:

• Extractive Economy: An unsustainable economic infrastructure that harms the environment and individuals by extracting from natural resources, human health, and well being for the purposes of commodification. Extractive economies perpetuate harm by exploiting labor, providing unsafe working conditions, and harming the environment through unsustainable practices; this ultimately has a negative impact on the individuals, marginalized communities, and our environment. 

• Green Jobs: Careers in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), administrative, and service activities that contribute(s) substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality. This includes jobs such as: water conservation, sustainable forestry, biofuels, geothermal energy, environmental remediation, sustainability, energy auditors, recycling, electric vehicles, solar power, and wind energy.

• Systems of Harm (oppressive systems): Systems that cause or replicate harm that seek to diminish or take away power from marginalized groups or communities directly or indirectly. This includes: denying liberties and access to opportunities on the basis of race, gender, economic access, across disabilities, language, immigration status, nationality, and more. 

• Regenerative economies: Restores our environment and supports our communities through sustainable practices, mutual aid, and interdependency while prioritizing human dignity. People who are most affected by the economy are prioritized in decision making processes and resource sharing. An essential tenet is that humankind is equal to the land and earth.

• Systems of Care: A network that supports and centers the wellbeing of our communities and prioritizes healing. Networks and services that address harm without replicating harm, that promote both healing and resilience. Including but not limited to a spectrum of effective, community-based services.

• Workforce Development: Helping people with gaining or transitioning to new employment opportunities, supportive services, and job training. This form of workforce development does not seek to rely on labor and productivity, but rather meeting the needs of the individual that allows them to thrive and reach financial stability. 

• Economic Development: Economic Development is the creation of wealth from which the community benefits. It is more than a ‘jobs program’, it's an investment in a growing economy and enhancing the quality of life for all residents.

MEMBERS OF THE JUST TRANSITION WORKGROUP