Ginny Cleaveland, Deputy Press Secretary, Fossil-Free Finance, Sierra Club, ginny.cleaveland@sierraclub.org, 415-508-8498 (Pacific Time)
WASHINGTON, DC — The Sierra Club’s executive director, Ben Jealous, will join Third Act founder Bill McKibben on Tuesday, March 21, in Washington, DC for a national day of action to stop dirty banks. The event, which is being billed as one of the biggest ever mass mobilizations being led by retired activists in their “third act” of life, will feature a rally, a march, a 24-hour vigil outside DC bank branches of Chase, Citi, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, and a “rocking chair rebellion” with elders outside the bank branches in rocking chairs, alongside giant puppets, street murals, chanting protestors, and labor-style picket signs.
WHAT: Third Act’s National Day of Action to Stop Dirty Banks. Founded by Bill McKibben, Third Act is building a community of experienced Americans over the age of 60 who are determined to change the world for the better.
WHO: Several well-known climate activists will speak at the DC rally, including:
- Dr. Rose Abramoff, Climate Scientist and Member of Scientist Rebellion
- Ebony Twilley Martin, Co-Executive Director of Greenpeace USA
- Bill McKibben, Third Act Founder
- Ben Jealous, Executive Director of Sierra Club
- Frontline speakers
Partnering organizations for the DC event include: Appalachians Against Pipelines, ARTivism Virginia, Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund, Elders Climate Action (Virginia Chapter), Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Guardian Rebellion, Interfaith Power and Light DMV, Scientist Rebellion, and Stop the Money Pipeline.
WHERE: Activists will gather in DC at the southeast corner of Franklin Park (13th and I Streets NW) for the rally, and then will visit the offices of the four big banks south of the park during a Walk of Hope and a March of Action. The event will culminate in a “rocking chair rebellion” at the intersection of 14th Street and New York Avenue NW.
Additionally, there are more than 80 National Day of Action to Stop Dirty Banks events planned on March 21 in towns and cities across the US. Explore events here.
WHEN: Tuesday, March 21, 2023
- 9:30am: Multi-faith prayer circle at Franklin Park
- 10am: Walk of Hope with retired activists singing and carrying signs, visiting vigil keepers in front of the four bank branches south of the park
- 11:15am-12:45pm: Rally in Franklin Park. The Sierra Club’s Ben Jealous will speak last, immediately preceding the march.
- 12:45pm: March of action past the bank branches, ending at 14th Street and New York Avenue NW.
- 1:30-2:30pm: “Rocking chair rebellion” with elders outside the bank branches in rocking chairs alongside giant puppets, street murals, chanting protestors, and labor-style picket signs.
WHY: Leading energy experts have made it clear that limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C will require a complete transformation of our global energy system. Big US banks are some of the biggest financiers of fossil fuel expansion in the world, and by continuing to finance that expansion, they undermine our ability to meet our climate goals, and contradict their own climate pledges. As international banks set world-leading standards for what climate-aligned financing looks like, US banks continue to lag far behind their peers.
AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS: Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous will be available for interviews at the event in DC from approximately 11am-1:30pm.
MORE INFO: For more information about Third Act’s National Day of Action to Stop Dirty Banks, please visit thirdact.org/national-day-of-action.
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.