Dani Leviss

Publicity Chair, Raritan Valley Group, NJ Sierra Club

In the early morning hours before the People’s Climate March on April 29, a thunderous bang started the day, which only got louder. As marchers stayed dry in their cars while waiting for the bus, a deafening and intense thunder and lightning storm rolled over the Sears parking lot, setting off a car alarm. Minutes to 5 a.m., nearly 50 marchers dashed through the rain to board the bus and set off for a 4-hour ride from New Brunswick, N.J. to Washington, D.C.

Carrying Sierra Club and non-Sierra Club members alike, the New Brunswick bus was one of 14 coach buses sponsored by the NJ Sierra Club. Anticipation was palpable on the ride as strangers met each other and traded stories about what led them to marching in the nation’s capital for the climate. One rider, Carol Meyer of Clark, N.J., noted she marched for clean air, water and soil. She said, “I know the physical and psychological benefits that occur from enjoying our parks system. I feel the urgency of the effects of climate change increasing exponentially, and the current administration’s complete disregard of the facts that have been brought to the forefront by the scientific community.” Meyer made two signs for the march reading “Dismantle/Defund EPA Equals Higher Healthcare Costs—Who’s Paying for That???” and “Smart People Say Climate Change is Real.”

The People’s Climate Movement and numerous partner organizations including Sierra Club, 350.org, NAACP, League of Conservation Voters and Indigenous Environmental Network expertly organized the march. Reportedly more than 200,000 environmentalists and climate justice activists flooded the streets of Washington. Colorful, creative and clever signs and art pieces waved high over the crowd marching Pennsylvania Avenue, from The Capitol to The White House. Coming a week after the March for Science and Earth Day, organizers explained the Climate March would be more political and aimed at specific Trump administration policies. The march coincided with the 100th day of the Trump administration.

After a smooth ride to D.C., the marchers disembarked the New Brunswick bus at RFK Stadium and walked to the meeting spot for Sierra Club groups on Jefferson Drive NW in the eighth and last section of the march lineup, “Many Struggles, One Home.”

The near record-breaking temperature of 91° did not wilt the spirits of marchers, but made the call for action on climate change even more urgent. New Brunswick Bus Captain Gary Frederick said, “The majority of Americans want to see action on climate change and many were willing to go to D.C. on a sweltering April day to demand it. Not just Sierra Club, but people from all walks of life. People hit by drought. People flooded out of their homes. People who lost their jobs because of climate injustice.”

Those towards the back of the march lineup waited hours after arrival to begin marching through the nation’s capital. One reason may have been the overwhelming number of people participating in the march, well over the 50,000 to 100,000 the People’s Climate Movement originally anticipated. Patient, yet sweaty marchers relished in this good problem to have. Frederick, who is also Group Chair and Conservation Chair for the Raritan Valley Group of NJ Sierra Club, added, “I’m so proud to be part of a movement fighting for our environment and taking on the deniers and special interest groups who only care about their profits.”

With call and response chants like “What do we want? Climate justice. When do we want it? NOW,” people from across the country became a unified voice calling for protection of the Earth for the benefit of everyone. At exactly 2 p.m., the march paused and marchers wherever they were sat down in the streets and clapped their hands in rhythm, representing a collective heartbeat drowning out the noise of climate-deniers. Passing by Trump International Hotel, the crowd pointed their fingers and cried chants of “Shame! Shame! Shame!” As the Climate March made its way to the White House, some participants peeled off at the Washington Monument to hydrate at one of several water stations, listen to music and speeches and display their handmade signs and banners.

Smaller sister marches of the People’s Climate March were held across the U.S. and the globe. So far, 2017 has been a major year for protest permits. Overseeing the National Mall, the National Park Service has received 33 percent more requests to protest on the federal land than it had at the same time in 2016, according to The Washington Post.

Though the march is over, the fight to protect our environment continues. Recently on April 26, President Donald Trump ordered the Interior Department to conduct a sweeping review of the Antiquities Act in an effort to sell off public lands. In the history of the Antiquities Act, signed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, no National Monument designation has ever been revoked. We need to remain vigilant, vocal and active in calling our Representatives, writing letters, and yes, marching for clean air, clean water and our future.

 Photos by author Dani Leviss

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