The Rainier Beach Action Coalition is the 2016 recipient of the WEA Human and Civil Rights Committee’s Elaine Akagi-Cultural Awareness Award for its dedicated work in the Rainier Beach neighborhood. Every year WEA honors human and civil rights heroes throughout Washington State. WEA, through this award, looks to honor the past and rededicate itself to the unfinished task of creating a just society

In presenting this award, its it’s WEA’s belief that the Rainier Beach Action Coalition has demonstrated honoring of the past and is dedicated to creating a just society.

Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC) is a result of a merger, two years ago, between Rainier Beach Community Empowerment Coalition (RBCEC) and Rainier Beach Moving Forward (RBMF) out of a desire to grown more capacity for the Rainier Beach neighborhood.

Now, RBAC is a grassroots neighborhood development action coalition devoted to implementing neighborhood responsive and equitable development projects.in Rainier Beach. RBAC focuses specifically on the implementation of the 2012 Rainier Beach Neighborhood Plan Update. RBAC’s interest as stewards of Rainier Beach neighborhood priorities, include advancing the vision of the Rainier Beach Food Innovation District, an anti-displacement strategy through the use of jobs, education, housing and food security. Other RBAC youth and resident centered civic engagement opportunities include:

  • Rainier Beach Back2School Bash – August 12, 2017
  • Rainier Beach Annual Town Hall Meeting – May 20, 2017
  • Action Team Meetings – monthly issue oriented meetings – Second Thursday of each month
  • Corner Greeters/Mobile Discovery Center – planning occurs each Monday
  • Southeast Seattle FreedomNet a neighborhood citizen journalist program – real time
  • Priority Hire a construction trade outreach, referral and placement program – every day

The partnerships and/or committees RBAC has a stake in include Rainier Beach A Beautiful Safe Place for Youth, Communities of Opportunity, FreshLo, Rainier Beach Economic Development Committee, the Race and Social Equity Taskforce, Link2Lake, South CORE and the Southeast Seattle Education Coalition. Planning meetings are typically held at Neighborcare’s Rainier Beach Medical and Dental Clinic, 9245 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98118.

Rainier Beach stands out among Seattle’s many neighborhoods because of its unique and distinctive assets; its racial, ethnic and religious diversity and its potential opportunities for innovative and equitable development.

An award ceremony is scheduled for April 1, 2017; 11:00 am PDT at Rainier Beach Plaza, 8825 Rainier Avenue So (Corner of Rainier and Henderson). Recipients of the Elaine Akagi-Cultural Awareness Awardees receive an award and a $250 check. For more information about the Rainier Beach Action Coalition visit the website at www.rbcoalition.org, Twitter @rainierbeach, Facebook: RainierBeachActionCoalition. Mail at 3703 So Edmunds Street, 19, Seattle, WA 98118, email: rbactioncoalition@gmail.com

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