Who We Are

Our coalition is a collective of organizations and individuals representing frontline communities including Native American/ Indigenous, Black/African-Americans, Immigrants, Refugees, People experiencing homelessness and current residents living, working, subsisting or recreating around the Portland Harbor Superfund site.

Core Members

Members who directly represent or identify as disproportionately impacted communities  

East European Coalition — unites the Eastern European Communities in Oregon and promotes Eastern European culture.

Get Hooked Foundation – Introduces children and families in at risk communities aquatic ecosystems through mentorship.

Imagine Black – Imagine Black helps Portland’s Black community imagine the alternatives we deserve, builds our political participation, and supports leadership to achieve those alternatives.

Living Islands - is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization, dedicated to supporting Pacific Islander Communities through cross-cultural education and awareness since 2013.

Portland Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (PCHRP) - An organizing committee of immigrant youth, students, professionals, workers and allies working together in solidarity to advance in the national democratic movement in the Philippines, in the United States through education, leadership development and political action

Right 2 Survive – Educates both houseless and housed people on their civil, human, and constitutional rights empowers houseless people to stand up for themselves when their rights are violated. They bridge the gap between housed and un-housed people by clearing away misconceptions and stigmas associated with houselessness.

Sisters of the Road — Builds authentic relationships and alleviates the hunger of isolation in an atmosphere of nonviolence and gentle personalism that nurtures the whole individual, while seeking systemic solutions that reaches the roots of homelessness and poverty to end them forever.

Unite Oregon — Led by people of color, immigrants and refugees, rural communities, and people experiencing poverty, we work across Oregon to build a unified intercultural movement for justice.

Wisdom of the Elders – Records and preserves the oral history, cultural arts, language concepts, and traditional ecological knowledge of exemplary Native American and Indigenous historians, cultural leaders and environmentalists in collaboration with arts and cultural organizations and educational institutions.

Supportive/Advisory Members

All other members (businesses, environmental, neighborhoods, public health, service-based, etc.)

As a collective, we demand: Superfund job training opportunities and family-wage jobs for impacted communities, adequate affordable housing in neighborhoods adjacent to the river, reparations for displaced communities, policy measures to prevent further displacement, support for the houseless (by stopping all sweeps of riverside camps and addressing the root causes of the houselessness), greater public access to the river, early opportunities for community/youth groups to help shape/lead river access projects (including restoration projects that support enhanced fish and wildlife habitat), and community Benefit Agreements (between impacted communities, polluters, and government agencies to ensure equity provisions are implemented during and following the cleanup).

Founding Board Members

  • Jeri Jimenez (she/her), Klamath, Board Chair

    Jeri is an enrolled member of the Klamath Tribes. She is a local and national leader in equitable community organizing and engagement and social justice who uses her voice to speak truth to power. Her work comes from a more relational worldview, recognizing that all life is sacred and everything is connected. She dedicates her free time to work with survivors of human trafficking, community organizing and environmental justice. She has worked for the City of Portland Bureau of Community and Civic Life and served as the executive director of the Environmental Justice Action Group from 2000-2007. She also co-founded the organizations Survivor to Survivor and the Urban Workers Union. Jeri currently is completing a fellowship with the U.S. government National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center Human Trafficking Leadership Academy for Native American People and holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Development.

  • Alex Lopez (he/him), Board Vice-Chair

    Alex is a state-licensed geologist specializing in the remediation of petroleum and chemical contaminated properties and has a Masters of Social Work. Originally from Houston, Texas, he grew up in the shadows of oil refineries and witnessed the environmental damage caused by the oil and chemical refining industries and its disproportionate impact on low-income and BIPOC communities. Measuring petroleum contamination in the Willamette River, Alex recognized the familiar impacts of industry on Portland Harbor. When not working at his job, Alex enjoys making music and exploring the geology of the northwest.

  • Samantha Hernandez (she/her), Board Secretary

    Samantha was born and raised in Miami, Florida to parents from the Dominican Republic. She identifies as a mixed race latina of mixed-race ancestry. Samantha is a Climate Justice Organizer at Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility (OPSR). After Miami, Samantha considers Portland to be a second home. The enriching friendships she has made while interning at local organizations like Portland Harbor Community Coalition, Portland VOZ, and Growing Gardens has greatly informed her perspectives on the importance of frontline community-led action and intersectional environmentalism.

  • Linda Senn (she/her), Board Treasurer

    I care that water has protectors!

    I bring a few gifts of life's experiences to this work;

    I am a mother , a granddaughter, a great granddaughter, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a friend, a survivor of the systems of Portland, Oregon, a protector.

    The way I learned to protect is to educate myself and others, communing together as we talk (share stories) we learn ways to bring our best self to design (craft) true change.

    I am not solution driven, I am driven with love.

    I desire authentic relationships in all forms. I'm fortified by my consumption of all the things. When it's my story to share, I will bring my truth, with my experience to learn together what we can do.

    Forever water protector,

    Honored to call the superfund my beloved home.

Our Team

  • Cassie Cohen (she/her), Executive Director

    Cassie grew up in the Portland metro area, caring deeply about her connection to nature. She didn't understand why she and her family were disconnected from the Willamette River until she learned about its complicated environmental condition. Cassie is known for her skills in bringing diverse community members together to address social, racial, environmental, and economic justice issues. She serves as the Executive Director for Portland Harbor Community Coalition. She has over 15 years of experience working in nonprofit, education, and in the public sector. From 2009-2015, she led Groundwork Portland, an environmental justice organization led by and serving communities of color, during which time they formed the Portland Harbor Community Coalition. She and her team were also able to hire and employ 100 young people in a paid environmental jobs training program. Her passions are dance, and spending time with her 8-year-old daughter.

    Email Cassie: cassie@phccoalition.org

  • Sterling Stokes (she/her), Campaign Manager

    Sterling has been passionate about the environment for as long as she can remember, always knowing that humans and the earth are deeply connected. She is a grad student at OHSU, working towards a Master of Public Health in Environmental Systems and Human Health. She graduated with a dual degree in Public Management and Policy and Psychology and a minor in Philosophy from the University of Arizona in 2021. Her past experiences working in the conservation field while enrolled in psychology courses brought her attention to systematic blind spots within human-environmental connections and institutional injustices. Sterling now focuses on environmental justice, intersectionality, and bridging the gaps between environmentalism and the social sector. She is extremely excited to be a part of PHCC and collaborate with the community to bring equitable change. In her free time, she enjoys concerts, exploring the PNW, and expanding her knowledge of energy work.

    Email Sterling: sterling@phccoalition.org

  • Sam Robinson (she/they), Intern

    Sam is currently in her final year of undergrad at the University of Portland, where she is majoring in Social Work with a Psychology minor. Sam grew up near a superfund site in New Mexico, and since moving to Portland for school, lives near the Portland Harbor Superfund site. Her interests include movements around environmental and social justice, as well as facilitation through community engagement. Sam has a deep love for our natural environment, and she enjoys going on a number of outdoor adventures such as camping, hiking, and kayaking. Sam is excited to work with the Portland Harbor Community Coalition because she is eager to learn more about the community that surrounds her and hopes to create awareness on campus about the Portland Harbor's history. Sam's goals are centered around expanding her community engagement and advocacy skills, as well as creating an institutional impact at her university.

    Email Sam: robinsos24@up.edu

  • Afroza Hossain Misty (she/her), Intern

    I am Afroza Hossain Misty (pronounced she/her), originally from Dhaka, Bangladesh, where I witnessed urban challenges affecting over twenty million people, including income and gender inequality, environmental vulnerability, limited access to safe water and sanitation, and slum conditions. These experiences ignited my passion for urban planning, and I pursued a bachelor's degree at Khulna University of Engineering & Technology in Bangladesh. Currently, I'm a master's student in Urban and Regional Planning at Portland State University, where I've gained a deep understanding of the connection between urban environments and social justice. My diverse experiences and academic journey drive my commitment to environmental justice and equitable urban development.

    Email Misty: afroza@pdx.edu