Global Climate Strike Recap
On Friday, I made my way from Brooklyn to Manhattan to participate in the Global Climate Strike with Fridays for Future, beginning at Foley Square in New York City. The march took place all over the world, but this particular one was especially important, as it marked the final days of Climate Week NYC, and coincided with the UN General Assembly gathered in New York.
The efforts of Fridays for Future, and many other Climate Orgs present, were intended to draw the attention of this community of leaders who were meeting in the city last week.
From my perspective of the strike, it would have been difficult for these leaders to look away. The diverse crowd of strikers were vibrant both in passion and in their display. From art installations to massive colorful banners and bright waving ribbons, those gathered for the climate strike could not be ignored.
Photo Credit: Adrian Childress from Fridays for Future Instagram
Disrupting the streets that afternoon were thousands of youth activists leading chants, passing out posters, and making Fridays for Future’s demands known. The demands of the strike were as follows: for New York City to follow through on declaring a climate emergency, for President Biden to declare a Climate Emergency, that the U.S. votes yes to the Advisory Opinion on Climate Justice from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and to make ecocide a crime in the International Criminal Court (ICC). All of these demands were directed at leaders like Mayor Eric Adams, President Biden, as well as many other global leaders visiting New York for events like Climate Week, the UN assembly, and Global Citizen.
Alongside, the youth activists were joined by tons of passionate adults across generations. The crowd was diverse in racial identities, sexual identities, and gender identities as well. I was moved by the abundance of participants, but also by the crowd's celebration of diversity.
Climate change is everyone’s problem. As we each experience the impacts of this global issue, we are also being saddled with the responsibility to undo what previous generations have done. If I ever needed a reminder that I am not alone in my care for the planet, the climate strike was it. Marching together with a community of other young folx and older allies re-energized and redefined my commitment to climate action.
Photo Credit: Adrian Childress from Fridays for Future Instagram
Fridays for Future organized much of the climate strike, but organizations like Stop Ecocide International, Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, and Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change were also represented. The various organizations spent much of the time prior to the march canvassing the crowd, getting strikers involved in future projects, and passing out protest materials like posters, ribbons, and chant sheets. Once the march began, the youth leadership stepped up to make sure everyone was aware that this was their march, and their future at stake. High schoolers led chants from different parts of the crowd; protest calls like “This is what Community Looks Like” or “What do we want? Climate Justice! When do we want it? NOW!” rang through the streets, and all were initiated by someone under the age of 25. As we marched past Wall Street, chants got louder and more direct. Finally, we arrived at Battery Park, where we ended the strike with a series of youth activist speakers.
To introduce the series of speakers, Fridays For Future reminded the audience of the demands that were being represented at the strike. To reinforce the urgency of their demands, Fridays For Future invited speakers like Shiv Soin, Yuh-Line Niou, Wawa Gatheru, Helena Gualinga, Saad Amer, Jayathma Wickramanayake, Jerome Foster II, Ayisha Siddiqa, Kevin J Patel, and Xiye Bastida. Each of these speakers spoke with eloquence and passion about their individual relationships to climate justice. However, one message was clear: the powerful youth leaders of today are tired of fighting. Activists Ayisha Saddiqa, Xiye Bastida, Helena Gualinga, Vanessa Nakate, and Sophia Kianni stood at the speaker podium arm in arm. Gualinga remarked that they chose to stand at the podium together “because we are so tired of having to repeat our stories and our trauma over and over and over again.” She expressed that they are relying on one another's support as they navigate this exhausting work of climate justice. Ayisha Siddiqa read a poem that she wrote titled To Hell With Your Sustainability, My People Are Dying. Her poem emphasized the searing rallying cry behind this year's climate strike, “Profit Over People.” Siddiqa, along with other activists and speakers, vocalized their anger with businesses, corporations, and leaders who continue to produce harmful materials like fossil fuels, while manipulating climate change and sustainability movements by participating in greenwashing. Siddiqa reminded the audience that while we sit and wait for leaders to make changes, real lives are being lost all over the world, especially now, in her home country of Pakistan.
Photo Credit: Eric Marky Terena
Ultimately, the speakers’ messages were not only powerful, but incredibly persuasive.
As more and more youth show up to strike for climate change, I hope that the message continues to be clear: that we are tired of waiting for our leaders to act.
Although many of the sentiments shared on Friday were steeped in frustration, anger, grief, and exhaustion, there was a beautiful camaraderie from the youth in that space, evident simply in the image of Siddiqa, Bastida, Gualinga, Nakate, and Kianni standing together at the podium. As young activists, we have to rely on the support of one another. Together, our voices are louder, and our leaders cannot look away