The Reading Warehouse

WINNING RICHMOND - HOW A PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE WON CITY HALL

Gayle McLaughlin

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." -- Native American proverb

A group of political activists, environmentalists, and social justice advocates formed a Progressive Alliance that took their city back from the Chevron Oil Company. They transformed Richmond, long polluted and poisoned, into a national leader in sustainability, equity and grassroots democracy, giving hope to the San Francisco Bay Area, the state of California, and the world.

Gayle McLaughlin was at the center of that long-term struggle, organizing with co-activists, going door-to-door campaigning and serving as the two-term Mayor of Richmond, California. This is her story. This is Richmond's story.

​"...the eyes of the country are on you. And if Chevron can roll over you, they and their buddies will roll over every community in America. If you can stand up and beat them with all of their money, you're going to give hope to people all over America that we can control our destinies." -- Bernie Sanders at Richmond Town Hall for the Richmond Progressive Alliance​