From going to work to getting groceries, from doctor’s appointments to religious worship, our ability to move through our communities determines our quality of life and access to opportunities. Whether Black or brown, immigrant or Indigenous, elder or student, having safe, affordable and efficient transportation choices are the avenues to our freedom, dignity and connection to community.
But, for generations, government agencies have created planning processes that overlook the voices of our immigrant, refugee, low-wealth and BIPOC communities and cater to the economic interests of outside developers and affluent residents. Because of these intentional choices, road and transit projects have brought destruction and displacement to our communities — over and over again. With the extension of the Blue Line light rail, we see the same entrenched processes and political interests once again threatening the families and small business owners who are the fabric of our beloved neighborhoods.
We have the community power and policy solutions to create a different outcome.
The Blue Line Coalition is rooted in the BIPOC and immigrant communities that will be most impacted by this project. Since 2013, we have been working together to make sure government leaders recognize the Blue Line extension is a racial justice and regional equity issue and that community inclusion and leadership must be central to ALL planning and outcomes.
Our communities have a right to the highest quality transit project and safety improvements — and strong protections to make sure our families are NOT pushed out of their neighborhoods and that immigrant, refugee, BIPOC and low-wealth residents and businesses directly benefits from these new investments. We demand that the Blue Line extension project intentionally seek to repair historic harms and restore the sustainability of our neighborhoods.
This project will have dramatic and daily consequences for countless residents. We see a future where fast, reliable transit options make it possible for a mother to go to her daughter’s soccer game instead of waiting on multiple bus transfers. We see train stops that serve and grow immigrant and BIPOC business districts that create wealth and stability in our cultural communities. We see safe street crossings that make it possible for elders to walk to their community-owned grocery store.
Because of our decades of deep relational organizing and years of engagement on this project, the Blue Line Coalition has the expertise and solutions to make that future a reality. Getting from one place to another cannot be a given for some — and a daily challenge or impossible barrier for others. Quality transportation choices are not just a fundamental civil right that is owed to our communities, but necessary for our region to thrive.
Now is the time to center community. We invite you to join us.
bluelinecoalition.org 