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DU Clarion [www.duclarion.com]
September 25, 2019 Volume 126 Issue 2
Weather Wed: sunny, 83° Thurs: sunny, 89° Fri: rainy, 77° Sat: cloudy, 78° Sun: sunny, 84° Mon: sunny, 75° Tues: sunny, 68°
Youth climate activism in Colorado Grace Ganz | Clarion
A
lmost 8,000 people turned out for the Worldwide Climate Strike in Denver this last Friday to raise awareness about global warming and climate change in light of the upcoming United Nations Climate Action Summit and nationwide political elections. On a sweaty and viciously hot day in Denver, the weather proved to be a fitting backdrop for the circumstances that brought Coloradans together to march down the 16th Street Mall from Union Station to the Colorado State Capitol building. Denver’s march was a part of a worldwide event catalyzed by Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist from Sweden.
Through her ever-growing media presence, she rallied the world to walk out on school and work on Friday in order to call legislative and general public attention to the global warming crisis. The marches ran the strongest in New York City, London, Berlin and Melbourne with numbers in the 10,000s and 100,000s. “I think we’re just trying to make a change and make the government listen to us, to get everyone on the track to help the earth. I’m actually here with The North Face, so the whole company came out here to speak up,” said a participant who did not work on Friday in support of the movement along with her fellow employees at the
outer-wear company. The protest also showcased a strong representation of youth. Thousands of young people of all ages sporting brightly colored signs took to the streets to fight for their future. “I’m 12. I guess [today is important] just because the adults aren’t doing anything. Because they’ll be dead by the time it’s our adulthood, and I feel like we get a chance to say something,” said a young female student who walked out of school with two of her friends to participate in the rally. After the march, crowds huddled around the microphone on the steps of the capitol building for the closing rally. Representatives of the Native American
community in Denver sat on the steps performing a continuous smudging ceremony, a tradition of Native American and indigenous culture in which sacred herbs are burned for cleansing purposes. The Native American presence at the march was especially important due to the community’s historic devoted protection of the earth and its natural resources. CONTINUED ON PG. 2
Grace Ganz | Arts and Life Editor