Allies

The following list is an incomplete list of activist groups that BPF Seattle works with or supports. Please note that we do not necessarily have a formal alliance with these groups or endorse all of their activities. The list is offered primarily as a resource for members. For prospective members, it offers a rough overview of our areas of interest and action.

Boycott Sakuma Seattle – Boycott Sakuma Seattle stands in solidarity with Familias Unidas por la Justicia in protest of exploitative labor conditions Skagit Valley farmworkers have endured while employed by Sakuma Brothers Berry Farms. Boycott Driscoll’s Berries!

Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites (CARW) – CARW is a group of white people in the Seattle area working to undo institutional racism and white privilege through education and organizing in white communities and active support of anti-racist, people of color-led organizations.

Duwamish Tribe – Seattle’s First People, the Dkh^w’Duw’Absh, have endured more than 100 years of broken United States treaty promises. The tribe is suing the federal government for recognition. The Duwamish Tribe was recognized at the end of the Clinton administration—only to have that positive determination overturned by the incoming Bush administration.

EcoSattva – A project of One Earth Sangha, EcoSattva Training is an online course designed to develop the Buddhist community’s capacity to effectively engage on climate change and other ecological challenges with courage, compassion and wisdom.

EPIC Seattle – End the Prison Industrial Complex (EPIC) is a community group working to stop the construction of the proposed new youth jail in King County, Washington. EPIC operates with staff support from American Friends Service Committee and includes members of Youth Undoing Institutional Racism, the People’s Institute Northwest and the community at-large.

European Dissent Seattle – European Dissent is an organization of persons of European descent who recognize that their varying ethnic histories have been forged into a common White identity in order to nurture and sustain racism. They work in consultation with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, a national multiracial network of organizers. Their goal is to be a visible force for racial justice and to strengthen a multiracial movement of people in the struggle for a just society.

Gates Divest – Gates Divest is petitioning the Gates Foundation to divest completely from the fossil fuel industry and send a strong message to the world’s political leaders that it is socially and morally unacceptable to profit from industries that cause global warming and threaten the biodiversity and global security of the planet.

Got Green? – Got Green leads community organizing efforts, public policy advocacy, and leadership development programs to ensure that the benefits of the new, green economy – green jobs, access to healthy foods, energy efficient homes, and public transit – are widely available to low income communities of color in Seattle/King County and beyond.

Lotus Sisters – Lotus Sisters is a lesbian, bisexual, transgender, women’s sangha in Seattle. Their activities include a sustained commitment to expanding the multicultural/anti-oppression connection to Buddhist practice and social change.

People of Color and Allies Sangha (POCAS) – This Buddhist inspired, peer led mindfulness group that meets weekly for a sit and Dharma discussion. This includes bringing Dharma wisdom to discussions of being people of color in the US.

Rising Tide Seattle – Rising Tide Seattle is a grassroots, all-volunteer collective taking direct action to confront the root causes of climate change.

White Awake – White Awake builds and maintains free online resources to help individuals, organizations, and spiritual communities increase their racial awareness.

If you would like to learn more about Buddhist organizations in our region, the Northwest Dharma Association offers a Member Directory.