Meet OJTA’s new alliance manager

Alexander Vasquez-Ibarra’s community organizing experience has expanded to cover the Willamette Valley when he moved to Salem, OR for his studies at Willamette University. During and after getting his B. A. in Politics, Policy, Law, and Ethics he worked in community-driven policy advocacy at local and statewide levels to defend against anti-immigrant policies and ballot measures. After seeing progress made by frontline communities, Alexander knows change is possible, and that there is a lot more to be done.

When Alexander was on the steering committee of the Southern Oregon Health Equity Coalition (SO Health-E), he launched their digital presence and provided DEI training to underrepresented students organizing in their school districts. In coalition workgroups, he prioritized communities left out of COVID-19 economic relief efforts and those displaced during 2020 wildfire related disasters. He has been involved in multiple statewide organizing rounds to craft and fund the Declaring Racism as a Public Health Crisis Resolution and still has hopes it can be fully implemented.

Alexander, what should we know about you?

I am a storyteller, educator, connector, disrupter, and seeker of liberation from the harmful and oppressive power structures of the colonial capitalist world that silence marginalized voices. I’m also a lifelong learner, and a student on a journey to impact the world through compassion, empathy, and kindness. I believe in building collective liberation together.

As an Indigenous person, I root deep to grow tall in all aspects of my life to ensure balance in my work and in my life. I (re)connect with my culture through weaving, music, and Indigenous language revitalization in order to remember ancestral wisdom and let it anchor me throughout the passage of my life journey.

How would you describe your role at Oregon Just Transition Alliance? 

As alliance manager, I’ll work closely with our executive director to ensure our alliance is centering and following the leadership of frontline communities. I seek to build and sustain non-extractive, reciprocal relationships with like-minded organizations, community members, and supporters to further OJTA’s crucial mission of a Just Transition.

What does a Just Transition mean to you?

The health and well-being of the environment is connected to the health of our communities, they are inseparably linked. To me, a Just Transition means we must work towards ending the dangerous conception that the environment and our communities exist to be exploited. 

It means building economic and political power for our most impacted communities by building a culture of regeneration and community care. 

It means no longer will we accept the status quo where our communities are brushed to the sidelines. 

It means our communities are at the table and have accessible information to make informed choices and steer the decision-making power. 

I love taking people outside and facilitating a connection to the environment. I believe that nature and the outdoors have the power to challenge notions that the land is a resource instead of a relative. In nature, we can foster community with the natural world and with ourselves.

What does showing up for frontline communities mean to you? 

I am passionate about creating inclusive communications strategies, decolonizing narratives, and designing programs that meet our communities’ needs. By staying attuned and balanced, my work will address real-world challenges and foster a more equitable and inclusive community. I value making information accessible for all so that our communities feel agency to advocate for themselves and the environment.

Meeting with our communities energizes me because bringing people together with diverse cultural perspectives is an opportunity for learning from their experiences while amplifying the knowledge and leadership of one another. By sharing about my culture and holding space that honors the cultural knowledge of other Black, Indigenous, and leaders of color, we can build connection. Showing up means investing in leadership of our frontline communities to build mutual alliances across sectors. Building relationships requires earning trust and respect from the community.

In this work, earning trust and sustaining partnerships also acknowledges our organizational goals and expectations won’t always align. Using interactive group storytelling as a tool is central to my practice of holding space in the moment with each other. I believe deeply that all people and groups have inherent value and the ability to grow and change. To me, showing up for frontline communities also means holding governments, partners, and stakeholders accountable to acknowledge the need for reconciliation that goes beyond apologies.

There must be work to address past grievances and present actions because they carry legacies of oppression and inequality that have harmed and continue to impact frontline communities. To me ongoing organizing is the roadmap to action that centers racial justice and the leadership of communities of color while rooting out other forms of inequality, oppression, and prejudice.

What’s your favorite place in Oregon? 

The OCEAN!

What is one fun fact about you? 

Outside of work, I love caring for my pets, designing various art projects, and being in community with the natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest with my husband.

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To read Alexander’s extended bio and get in contact with him, visit his About page.