Our Story

Founded in 2006, Brightline began its work in environmental justice as a traditional legal aid nonprofit, providing legal expertise to underserved communities in San Francisco, California. Soon after, inspired by community organizers like Dr. Espanola Jackson, we began to expand our work, combining legal and policy advocacy with on-the-ground partnerships and coalition-building.

In 2007, alongside Dr. Jackson and many other community leaders, Brightline pushed for the closure of San Francisco's Potrero Power Plant and an end to building new power plants within low-income communities of color in the city's southeastern neighborhoods. In 2008, then Mayor Gavin Newsom declared his commitment to no new fossil fuel power plants in San Francisco. Two years later, the city closed the Potrero Plant, ending the history of power plant pollution in Southeast San Francisco.

Today, Brightline continues to build coalitions that empower frontline communities to fight for healthy air and water in their neighborhoods. But our work has expanded to do more than simply defend against traditional sources of pollution: we are reimagining the future of clean energy, jobs, and environmental justice in frontline communities – and we’re helping make this vision a reality.

We have built coalitions to ensure that clean energy incentives reach low-income communities; helped draft and pass local hiring policies that bring good-paying jobs to frontline communities; and advocated for greater inclusion in California’s environmental justice mapping to identify communities overburdened with pollution.

We have set up local air quality monitors to shed light on environmental justice issues in local neighborhoods; created coalitions and training programs to prepare frontline communities for jobs in clean energy; and built youth leadership programs to foster the next generation of leaders.  

We have also helped hundreds of community members connect with policy-makers, government agency representatives, and industry leaders who are shaping the future of climate change and our nation’s clean energy infrastructure.

Our vision reflects both our shared values and long-term goals: empowered communities, sustainable environments. As the U.S. moves toward a cleaner economy, Brightline continues to advocate for frontline communities and apply our legal and policy expertise to develop policies that benefit both people and nature. At the same time, we work hand-in-hand with local leaders across the country to help underserved and underrepresented communities build effective coalitions, create new jobs in renewable energy, and empower the next generation of environmental leaders. Join us →

Dr. Espanola Jackson

A former electrician in the shipyards of San Francisco, Dr. Jackson was a long-time advocate for communities of color in the Bayview-Hunters Point area of San Francisco. Dr. Jackson was known for her ability to reach across diverse communities and bring different people – and different personalities – together to advocate for a safe, equitable environment. She brought much-needed resources to her community, created greater access to solar power, and stopped projects that produced harmful toxic pollution.

Her legacy is a constant reminder of the power one person has to create lasting change: she not only improved the quality of life for people in her community, but also empowered many young leaders to follow in her footsteps and speak up for the rights of frontline communities.