JEDI Statement

Tacoma Tree Foundation deeply values the diversity of the greater Tacoma community and is committed to being an anti-racist organization with an institutional culture grounded in Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (JEDI).

We acknowledge that our work takes place on the traditional homelands of spuyaləpabš, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, as well as other Coast Salish peoples who have stewarded these lands and waters since time immemorial.

We commit to advocating for and working toward environmental justice, understanding that our urban forest lacks equitable distribution and has declined because of destructive cultural and environmental practices. Additionally, we further commit to challenging land use policies that harm communities of color and advancing “tree equity” as the central focus of our work.

We commit to identifying and challenging our socialized biases within the Tacoma Tree Foundation. We will prioritize racial, ethnic, linguistic, gender and geographic diversity in our staff hiring and board recruitment process to reflect our communities.

We strive to be a community-driven organization connecting neighborhoods and cultural groups with trees and other greening resources. We conduct ourselves with cultural humility, without making assumptions about other people’s personal values- especially in communities that have not always been represented or treated fairly. In this way, we seek to create a culture of belonging for all our neighbors, both within the organization and in the broader community where we live and work.