A recap of our 2024 member retreat on Indigenous Peoples’ Day
The 2024 member retreat attendees standing outside of the Grand Ronde Cultural Center in Grand Ronde, OR.
This September, Oregon Just Transition Alliance and key members, partners, and friends gathered for our annual member retreat with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in Grand Ronde, Oregon. A departure from our usual event space, our theme was “Grounded in Place” and our goal was to learn from Oregon tribes who have long practiced a Just Transition in the Willamette Valley, and to honor and uplift the tribe's climate resilience.
Intention setting
Over the past few years, OJTA has been actively working to strengthen its relationships with Oregon tribes. OJTA honors that since time immemorial, the indigenous peoples of Oregon were the original stewards of the land and waters across the state by using traditional ecological knowledge to sustain ecosystems grounded in resiliency, regeneration, and reciprocity.
To ground OJTA deeper into traditional ecological frameworks, the OJTA team read and discussed Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science by Jessica Hernandez, Ph.D. The book explains why Western conservation methods aren’t working and how Indigenous communities are often excluded from important conversations about science and policy, even though they’re most impacted by climate change. Reading it reminded us that Indigenous voices must be central to our work and helped us more meaningfully engage in our relationships with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
Our team was honored to work with Grand Ronde to continue building a long-term relationship. Our intention was to co-create a meaningful agenda with hands-on learning experiences for our members to understand the histories of the original inhabitants of these lands.
Starting in the early summer, our team visited the Chachalu Museum, the Grand Ronde Cultural Center, and the cultural specialists of Grand Ronde to identify key locations and forge relationships with the community. As the planning progressed, we maintained regular check-ins to build strong communication and ensure Grand Ronde had equal say in the building out of our retreat.
The retreat
Our 2024 member retreat is a tradition that’s rooted in our shared commitment to justice and solidarity for frontline communities across Oregon. What began as a training session from our friends at Movement Generation in 2017 has evolved into intentional space for community, connection, and collaboration.
This year, the retreat opened with attendees gathered outside around a fire. Grand Ronde Singers sang traditional welcome songs while attendees and tribal elders gathered round. We made altar offerings to set intentions and honor people, places, and objects that hold special meaning to the participants.
With our intentions aligned, our team humbly gathered to learn, discuss, and engage with the 13 different member organizations represented at this year’s retreat.
To center everyone, we dedicated time to review the principles of a Just Transition. With guidance from Climate Justice Alliance, our members learned more deeply about the Just Transition framework and the differences between extractive and regenerative economies. We also did team-building activities to reinforce these ideas.
We also learned with and from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. In a panel featuring tribal leaders, OJTA and participants gained insights about climate issues that most impact the region and their approaches to addressing these challenges.
We also toured the Chachalu Museum and Cultural Center and learned about first foods through sorting and grinding acorns. These hands-on experiences not only embody the principles of a Just Transition, but also reaffirm that a true Just Transition cannot exist without the voices, perspectives, and sacred knowledge and practices of Oregon Tribes.
With such broad regional representation, it was crucial to discuss state climate policy. With tailored breakout and small group discussions, our members had ample opportunities to discuss their local work with both regional and translocal participants. In this way, we all became more intimately connected with climate justice work being done in eastern, southern, coastal, and rural Oregon.
This retreat was a powerful reminder of the importance of centering Indigenous knowledge and the voices of our alliance in our work towards climate justice. By learning directly from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, exploring the principles of a Just Transition, and connecting across different regions, we strengthened our commitment to a more interconnected, regenerative future.
The multiple conflicting perspectives, experiences, and insights shared strengthened our relationships to one another and with place. The newly made connections and relationships built during our time together will continue to guide us as we work collaboratively towards a Just Transition in Oregon.
Our member retreat, wrapped:
13 alliance members and partner organizations attended.
35 individual attendees traveled from Eastern Oregon, Hood River, Portland, Rogue Valley, the Oregon Coast, as well as Washington and California.
2 full days and 2 half days were spent learning from Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and shoring up meaningful relationships with each other about a Just Transition; what it is and how to work towards it.
Thank you to:
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde for sharing space with us, for putting together meaningful panels and activities, and for keeping us well-fed.
Michelle Voacolo from Climate Justice Alliance for facilitating an insightful and meaningful Just Transition training.
To Ethan Krow of Stuart Collective, for giving a very informative deep dive into Oregon’s legislative landscape.
To Thomas Ngo, for being our contract photographer and taking wonderful photos and headshots of our alliance members.
Thank you to all the organizations who participated: Adelante Mujeres, APANO, Climate Justice Alliance, Front and Centered, Rural Organizing Project, Hood River Latino Network, NAACP Eugene/Springfield, Oregon Rural Action, PCUN, Rogue Climate, Unite Oregon, Verde, and Voz Workers' Rights Education Project.
A note on our publication date
In 2021, the Oregon State Legislature voted to recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This historic acknowledgement recognized the significant contributions of Oregon’s first peoples since time immemorial.
In this recognition, Oregon joined 10 other states in officially recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day and the contributions of Oregon's nine federally recognized tribes to the culture of this state. Learn more about Indigenous People’s Day.
