EBASE is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We were established in 1999, and are an affiliate of the national network, The Partnership for Working Families.

Mission

The East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) advances economic, racial, and social justice by building a just economy in the East Bay based on good jobs and healthy communities. We address the root causes of economic injustice by developing strategic alliances among community, labor, and people of faith to build power and create change with low-income workers and communities of color.

Vision

A sense of belonging. At the core of human nature is the desire to be valued, to feel at home, and to have community. Our jobs, our homes, and our neighborhoods should be sanctuaries. Places where everyone’s work and contribution is valued. Places where people come together to eat, to love, and to share in life’s celebrations and heartaches. And places that embrace our rich cultural and racial diversity.

However, for low-income workers, people of color, and immigrants, our economy is structured to deny us the opportunity to succeed and make us feel that we do not belong. That somehow, there is scarcity, in spite of the fact that our country is so abundant. EBASE is working to create a community that embraces the humanity of all people – honoring our brilliant minds, compassionate hearts, and divine spirits.

• EBASE is changing the expectation of work – particularly for low-wage jobs held primarily by people of color. All work is valuable, and everyone’s contributions are necessary to make our economy run smoothly. Everyone should have dignity in the workplace and be paid enough to succeed and flourish.
• EBASE is fighting for homes and a right to stay. Whether it’s a black family who has been here for generations, a recent immigrant, or a queer couple, we all have the right to decide where we live. EBASE fights for equitable development, affordable housing, and strong renters’ rights to prevent displacement of communities of color.
• EBASE is standing up for immigrants’ right to sanctuary in our homes, workplaces, and cities. Immigrants should be able to live and work peacefully – free from fear of deportation and being separated from our families and homes. EBASE also opens pathways to good jobs for immigrants.
• EBASE is dismantling systemic economic racism. By breaking down racism and racial barriers to employment, housing, education, etc., we create equal opportunities for people to succeed and to participate fully in our economy. Our vision is a Bay Area where our racial and cultural diversity is truly embraced.
• EBASE is empowering positive, grassroots leadership within low-income communities of color. To create an equitable economy on the state and national level, leadership needs to be grown locally and bubble upward so that there is true representation and movement towards more just policies.
• EBASE is tearing down the myth of scarcity. There should be no losers when we are surrounded by so much abundance in this country and particularly in the Bay Area. If we invest our resources fairly, everyone should have a good job, a thriving neighborhood, and robust public services like education and health care.