Lideres Campesinas training in Oxnard, CA. Photo credit: Lara Aumann and Nona Chai. 

“My experience at ‘Campaña para los Mercados Justos’ was significant for myself, the staff and chapter members because it gave us knowledge about toxic products and how to take action,” said Claudia Quezada, Líderes Campesinas’ Environmental Justice Program Coordinator. 

Trainings like the one we held for Líderes Campesinas in Oxnard this October truly embody the Just Transition Alliance’s mission to prevent unwarranted toxic trespass through popular education as a tool to promote shared learning and positive social change. During our Just Markets training, we collectively assessed the impact of major dollar stores on our communities and ideated pathways to prevent health and environmental harm. The incredible community advocates at Líderes Campesinas heard from our Executive Director José Bravo about chemicals of concern in dollar store products and stepped up to share relevant experiences and educate each other. These leaders will continue the dialogue in their communities, thereby helping to protect an increasing number of people, whether that be through making better consumer choices or starting local just transition projects with community gardens to improve the quality of products at dollar stores. 

Our Just Markets Training focuses on dollar stores because many people of color, low-income communities rely on dollar stores for basic necessities and food, especially in intentionally food deprived areas that lack grocery stores. People of color and low-income communities face multiple disproportionate health and environmental impacts from the production, use and disposal of toxic products from dollar stores. As such, discount retailers have a social responsibility to protect their customers from hazardous chemicals and to benefit the communities they operate in by stocking healthy locally grown food. While the government has continued to fail at regulating chemicals in products, trainings like ours build community members’ capacity to take their health and safety into their own hands.  

We’re excited to continue to hold Just Markets trainings and to keep working with local communities and workers to move toward a just transition for the discount retailer sector. For more information on how you can protect yourself and others while shopping at dollar stores, please follow our friends at the Campaign for Healthier Solutions.