LOOK NO FURTHER – It’s us. While we all have different abilities and degrees of opportunity and power with which to make a difference, we all can and must do what we can. That’s why I’m heading to Washington DC on April 29th, to march for my children and yours – for their future and now; to create hope for a livable world for us all. We can’t rely on someone else to fix what needs fixing. WE must not only be on guard but we must all be working to fix what we see is broken.
We also can’t minimize the urgency with which we must act. Band-aids are not permanent solutions and many of our band-aids are old and falling off. For me, with climate action – I will continue to loudly remind my friends, family, colleagues and elected officials that we need real change, NOW. We must stop pretending that changing light bulbs and recycling will save the future for our children. Small changes do add up, but by themselves they are at best false hopes and at worst they encourage complacency in the absence of others actions – blinding people to the urgency of the crisis in front of us right now.
The science on climate change is clear, as is our role in accelerating it. While it seems that more and more politicians are finally in agreement that climate change is here, our current administration and our President, are raising doubts about our role in causing our climate to change; clearly trying to dampen the urgency with which we must put needed and necessary policies and programs in place.
I get asked all the time, what are the three things I can do that will make a difference on climate change. Life is messy and the world is a messed up place, there are no easy answers and no “top 3” which will correct all the inequities and fix the unfolding crisis and existential threats we face. One thing that we all can do, in the immediate is take to the streets, to be visible, to stand up and demand action and to call out lies and falsehood.
Since January, 2017, it seems there is a march every day – for women’s rights, equal pay, reproductive rights, for science funding and reality, to protest injustices of all kinds, for immigrant rights, for tax fairness. There is broad and growing determination around our country – fueled by our passions – demanding justice and fairness. I feel strongly that if we all harness our determination for positive change, and act on what WE are passionate about – together we can create a more sustainable and just world for us all.
Our journey is long, it will take the rest of our lives. But to me, what is clear is that so many of us are in this together. It won’t take everybody, and we don’t have to convince everyone. We have begun, we are in the throws of a revolution, on step forward at a time, no looking back.
So if anyone asks me what’s next? I will tell them it’s messy, complicated and will not be easy. My friend and colleague Canadian artist Franke James likes to say: “Do the hardest thing first.” I know we are fighting for our lives and a livable future for our children. As Martin Luther King so eloquently stated, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but bends towards justice.” We stand together for climate justice – for human rights, for love and equality – and against hate. We stand for full respect for science and immediate action on solutions to the global crisis of climate change.
I will look for you in the sea of people on Saturday April 29th, in Washington DC and in the more than 300 sister marches around the country. I will see you…I will see you in the face of your child, your uncle, your neighbor, and your friend. Together we ARE making a difference, we won’t be silenced, and we will create a world that our children can grow old in. I believe this with all my heart. But it won’t happen without us being present, standing up, speaking out, demanding and taking action.
April 29th is a “moment in time;” it is the 100th day of the Trump Administration and an opportunity to say that we will not “normalize” an administration that has directly attacked immigrants, indigenous peoples, the LGBTQ community, communities of color, Muslims, science, our water, our air, and our climate change policies, facts and science.
We are building a movement. Join us. Find out more about the March and what comes next here.
With thanks,
Climate Mama
