Environmental Justice Cohort OverView

In October 2024, HOPE Collaborative launched it's first Environmental Justice Cohort (EJC). The EJC is an 8-month long program focused on political education, advocacy and grassroots organizing training for East Oakland residents interested in expanding their knowledge on air quality and pollution issues in their community. 

East Oakland has a long legacy of emissions and poor air quality due to many factors: historic redlining in the cities lower-income and BIPOC communities, industrial facilities, the Oakland Airport, and the high volume of cars and diesel trucks on the 880-freeway. All of these factors have lead to increased emissions exposure and increased rates of respiratory and cardiovascular issues, childhood asthma, cancer, and lower life expectancy rates. Though many people deal with the health impacts of air pollution, many residents are not aware of the sources of pollution or its human health and environmental impacts.   

This cohorts goal is to educate East Oakland residents on air pollution, find community-based solutions for emissions reductions, larger policy and systems change, and understand the legacy of environmental justice issues with East Oakland. 

Cohort participants will receive a monthly stipend of their participate in the program in order to increase their capacity to join. We are currently in our 2025-2026 Cohort year. If you are interested in the program, please contact Janina Turner at [email protected]. ​

Cohort curriculum and outcomes

The EJC participants explore a variety of topics throughout their time in the Cohort. Notably, we spend time discussing and engaging in:

• Environmental justice history of Oakland and it's roots in colonization
• How modern day development and industrialization paved the way for many air quality issues that persist today
• The role redlining and systemic oppression plays in emissions and pollution exposure to many Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous communities in Oakland
• The sources and causes of pollution in the Oakland Flatlands with a focus on East Oakland
• The health impacts of long-term pollution exposure including high asthma hospitalization rates in children and increase in cardiovascular issues in older populations
• How community education and outreach is key for moving forward in our advocacy for cleaner air

Our 2025-2026 Environmental Justice Cohort members!

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Recent COhort Presentations

Tour of the UC Berkeley Mobile Air Pollution Laboratory - Cohort members learned the in's and outs of mobile air pollution monitoring!

Policy Panel with presenters from The City of Oakland Planning Dept, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, and Communities for a Better Environment.