Collaborators or Repressors? Maintaining Local Autonomy in Big Green/Grassroots Environmental Justice Partnerships

Background: Mainstream environmental nongovernmental organizations and grassroots environmental justice (EJ) groups have consistently faced challenges cooperating effectively. An especially important problem for grassroots EJ groups in these partnerships is maintaining autonomy while still securing the resources necessary to pursue their goals. While challenges to self-determination are widely recognized by EJ activists and scholars, little work examines how these unfavorable outcomes can be avoided. This case fromthe Chicagoland area contributes to a deeper understanding of autonomy maintenance. Theoretical Framing: Understandings of autonomy are currently underdeveloped in the EJ literature. I use social movement theory and examine this case to understand autonomy as determined by procedure rather than outcome, asking what factors allowed a grassroots group to maintain autonomy when working with a mainstream environmental organization. Methods: I process trace a partnership between a mainstream environmental organization and a grassroots EJ group to understand the factors involved in the maintenance of local autonomy in this type of relationship. Case Results: Factors such as the grassroots EJ group strategically considering who to partner with, the mainstream group centering community needs and pursuing funding that is not mutually exclusive, and both groups focusing on a clearly shared mission facilitated autonomy maintenance. Conclusion: Understanding the factors involved in the maintenance of local autonomy in this case may provide some insight about best practices for amplifying grassroots voices in similar coalitions. This will be important as EJ coalitions continue to expand, and grassroots EJ actors increasingly receive funding from various sources.