Announcing a preview of Policies for the People

The Chisholm Legacy Project (TCLP) is a Black liberation organization rooted in the Just Transition Framework. We are committed to supporting Black-led frontline climate justice work with the resources and tools necessary to advance systems change on the path towards liberation. We are excited to share Policies For The People with you as one of our tools. The Policies for the People database and policy exchange will feature existing policies and in time, draft prospective policies for advancing Black Liberation, Just Transition and Regenerative Economy principles and practices at the federal, state, and local levels.  

To transform our system, we need transformative policies aimed at collective liberation. Currently there is a scarcity of model policies rooted in Just Transition and Black Liberation. People and communities are doing the work and we are helping to uplift and supply easy access to these models for replication where needed. 

“If the process of transition is not just, the outcome will never be”

— CJA Just Transition Principles 

Described by the Climate Justice Alliance, of which TCLP is a member, the Just Transition Framework is a set of strategies, principles and processes that transition whole communities away from the extraction, exploitation and oppression that harm our health and the planet towards restoration of ecological and social well-being and reparations of past harms that mitigate power imbalances.  

In the first stage of building the policy exchange, we are collecting all policies that are in existence and implemented. Everything we do is in the community. As we work to collect model policies, we want to hear what Just Transition policies you may be advancing. You can submit a policy here! 

Policies for the People will uplift policies that stop the bad while building the new. An example from our database includes the New York City Waste Equity Law (Local Law 152) which counters the disproportionate amount of waste transfer stations in North Brooklyn, Southeast Queens, and the South Bronx which cause health hazards to primarily low-income communities of color. Local Law 152 requires the fair distribution of waste collection and drives down truck traffic. Some of the changes that can result from effective enforcement of this law include cleaner air, less greenhouse gas emissions and safer streets. Importantly, mobilization and advocacy around this policy was made possible by a coalition led by the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance in partnership with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. This policy has Just Transition components as it was community led efforts that helped dismantle polluting industries while creating pathways for workers and/or clean energy for all. 

With components centered on black liberation our policy exchange focuses on changing the rules by redistributing resources and building Black economic and political power in local communities. For example, our policy exchange includes The Boston Resilience and Racial Equity Strategy, an Executive Order strengthens the City of Boston’s commitment to enhancing its collective resilience by advancing racial equity, prioritizing social justice, and strengthening social cohesion across all city agencies. The Executive Order requires all city departments to proactively engage in a Racial Equity and Leadership (REAL) Training Program, including data collection and evaluation of how racial equity is being advanced across departments. Additionally, departments will have to develop individual plans and goals for resilience, racial equity, and social justice. 

These are just some of the policies you can find starting today. As model policies are collected, key values and principles of a Just Transition Framework are uplifted while recognizing few policies are perfect and rejecting false solutions.  

The principles we uplift include:   

• A worldview based on caring and sacredness 
• Work and labor rooted cooperation 
• Environmental and social resources focused on regeneration 
• Governance based in deep democracy
• Acknowledged purpose of building ecological and social wellbeing 

In the future, we will connect with grassroots mobilizers to lend technical support in drafting prospective policies that help transform society from extractivism to a living economy that cares for sacred relationships between people and with Mother Earth, through regenerative, cooperative, democratic systems.  

We are excited to uplift the work happening all over the country towards building new systems that actively work towards Just Transition and Black Liberation. 

We will launch an online seminar series exploring the Policy for the People Database, offering more insight on the tool, how it can be used and further discussing The Chisholm Legacy Project’s Research and Policy portfolio. 

For any feedback on how we can improve our tool, do not hesitate to share here using this form.