Friendship House, Yurok Tribe, and SF’s environmental justice appointee attend White House Event
Washington, DC – At a White House roundtable on environmental justice last week, Friendship House, the Yurok Tribe, and San Francisco Justice40 Czar Josh Arce spoke about their vision for the Village SF, a Native-led initiative of environmental justice that includes housing, job creation, social service delivery, urban farming, and climate change mitigation.
The Village SF partnership was one of just a few community organizations to participate in the roundtable of senior White House officials and environmental justice leaders. Following the event, President Biden announced an executive order directing federal agencies to address the intersecting issues of environmental, racial, and economic injustice.
"The Village SF is a response to historically oppressive and biased systems, laws, policies, and practices, including the forced relocation of Indigenous peoples from their homelands to U.S. cities," said Peter Bratt, project lead for the Village SF. "We are reclaiming and rebuilding community for our Native relatives in the heart of the city. And [the fact] that we as an Indigenous-led coalition had a seat at the proverbial table, at the White House, is a first step toward healing and the restoration of balance."
In partnership with the City of San Francisco and the Yurok Tribe, Friendship House is building a six-story hub in the Mission District that will be a central location for social services, cultural programming, healthcare, treatment and recovery, a rooftop garden, and affordable housing. All programming will be culturally-centered and focused on traditional Native ways and Indigenous identity.
"Our team was immensely gratified to have President Biden and the White House team confirm that Justice40 is for all of us," said Abby Abinanti, Chief Judge of the Yurok Tribe. "We will not be overlooked, and the historical harms done to our people will be addressed. Our Native approach to justice is centered around our relationships – to each other, and to the places we live in and inhabit. We need to create dynamic and responsive models that address the harms done to our communities, and that nurture the ways in which we are all connected. This is our Indigenous worldview of healthy living."
Mayor Breed appointed Josh Arce, Director of the city’s economic and workforce development, to oversee the equitable and just implementation of Justice40, a Biden-Harris initiative to deliver forty percent of overall benefits from certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities. San Francisco is one of the few cities to take action to advance the Justice40 Initiative.
"San Francisco’s strong leadership on climate action, its collaborative partnership with the Friendship House and the city’s American Indian community, and the availability of 'shovel-ready' projects make our city an ideal location to demonstrate the transformative impact of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative," stated Mayor Breed.
Upon completion of funding, the Village SF building will break ground, and is slated to open in 2025.
"The Village SF starts with a building," said Bratt. "We begin with a six-story building for services, gatherings, youth and elder programs, healthcare, and affordable housing. But our vision is that this is just the beginning of building a larger community for our relatives. The dream is to show what is possible to serve urban Indians across America."
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Contact:
Ruby Stacey
rstacey@pyramidcommunications.com
360.565.6956 cell
About the Village: https://www.thevillagesf.org/building
About the Justice40 Initiative: https://www.whitehouse.gov/environmentaljustice/justice40/
About the Yurok Tribe: https://www.yuroktribe.org
About President Biden’s executive order: FACT SHEET: President Biden Signs Executive Order to Revitalize Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All | The White House
