Most of us have never met in person. For months, we’ve seen each other’s names on emails and petitions; we’ve made plans and spoken on the phone.
But this weekend, all of that changes.
Right now, on this Saturday morning, you might be reading this post from one of the 500 buses driving from Minnesota, Colorado, or Massachusetts. Or you are on your way to the hundreds of side events happening this weekend in NYC, such as the Student Convergence or the Community Divestment Meet-up, both happening now. But on September 21, 2014 at the People’s Climate March, everyone will be together to meet, to march, to change the course of our future.
Where will divestment be?
Tthis is the most diverse climate march in history. The motto, “to change everything we need everyone,” aims to unite us all in this fight – indigenous peoples, women, elders, student and youth, musicians, beekeepers, veterans, parents, community leaders, and more. Over 1,500 partner organizations are coming together in a march that truly belongs to us all, so how does divestment fit in? As people march with their communities and schools, their tribes and faith groups, divestment might not clearly stand out from the crowd.
But that’s because divestment is present in nearly every block of the march, overlapping with issues from across the climate change movement.
In the “We Can Build the Future” contingent, there will be wide banners held by students pronouncing “Youth Choose Climate Justice.” Standing behind these banners march student divestment groups from Yale, Bowdin, Swathmore, the UC schools, and American University, among many many others. “In the We Have Solutions” section of the march, the NYC and DC Fossil Free campaigns will carry large checks calling on their state comptrollers for pension fund divestment. In the fourth section of the march, “We Know Who Is Responsible,” the NY state divestment group will march next to the fracking group, both fighting for a shift away from fossil fuels. In section five, “The Debate is Over,” faith groups from across the religious spectrum who have called on their congregations to divest will march united. And in the final wave of the march, “To Change Everything We Need Everyone,” community, city, and state divestment groups will rally together for divesting their pension funds. Some of these groups number in the hundreds, such as 350MA who is sending over 30 buses of people; other groups will be a few representatives for their friends and family who are supporting the movement from far away in Hawaii, Alaska, Minnesota, or even New Zealand.
There won’t be one divestment section, and if you look at the march plan below, you won’t see any mention of Fossil Free. But that’s because in this world of currencies and climate change, divestment is present in any and every group. So march with the beekeepers and the musicians, the pastors and the monks, march with the students and the fracking coalition, march wherever you plan to march.
And know that everywhere you are marching, divestment marches with you.
For more details and to RSVP for the People’s Climate March, visit here.
