OCC Student Participates in People's Climate March

by Joanna Bruno

        The People's Climate March in Washington, D.C. drew in a crowd of thousands from all across the nation on Saturday, April 29, 2017, and I had the privilege of attending.

On the 100th day of Trump's presidency, more than 300,000 people gathered for a powerful demonstration of unity for jobs, justice, and awareness for climate action. The march was brimming with people from all different walks of life and organizations, including communities of faith, Indigenous Nations and environmental groups. Our purpose was to stand together and look beyond our currently polluted and divided country and work towards a cleaner and more unified America. 

My group and I arrived in Maryland at 9 a.m., taking the train into Washington, D.C. to be there for the start of the march at 11 a.m. Despite being early, the streets were already full of people; young and old, children and parents, workers and students. Some famous faces even showed up for the cause, including Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio and the man of science himself, Bill Nye. The crowd was made up of some of the nicest people I have ever met, striking up conversations about our signs and hand-made tie-dye shirts. People asked us for our pictures and we were even interviewed by another student from a university all the way in California. "It's so uplifting seeing such young people like you here today, really. Thank you," one woman we bumped into said.

        It was 90 degrees out and we were thankful for every little breeze that came through the city streets. We finally started marching around 1 p.m., my friends and I were towards the back of the crowd. As we got closer to the center of the city, more and more people stopped in their tracks and paused their routine activities to watch us and even offer us words of encouragement or nods of agreement. Chants like "Don't be a fossil fool, keep it in the ground," and "The people united will never be defeated," rang out throughout the streets on our way to the White House.  Atop of the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue, people leaned over the balcony and waved and recorded the march as we walked below. The march wrapped up by having marchers surround the White House and sitting along Pennsylvania Avenue. Protestors created a "heartbeat" by tapping their feet, and drummers kept time with them, for 100 seconds, signifying the first 100 days of the Trump administration.

The march was very peaceful and I was proud to be a part of something much bigger than myself, and to stand up for a cause I strongly believe in. The ache in my arms and exhaustion was well worth it, if it meant getting our message across. I was amazed at the turn out, and seeing people from all over the country and some parts of the world, coming to take a stand against an alarming environmental agenda. 

Sister marches also took place all across the globe for those unable to attend the one in our nation's capital, in places like Japan, the Philippines, Uganda, Kenya, Germany, Greece, the U.K., Brazil, Mexico, and more. There were also nearly hundreds of events that took place across the United States, in almost all 50 states, including major cities like Miami, Denver, Los Angeles and Chicago. I hope that our efforts that day did not go unnoticed, and we all begin to understand the extent of the danger climate change poses for all of us and we begin to make the shift over to a more energy efficient and united world.