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'Only the Beginning': Nationwide Campus Walkouts Issue Climate Call to #ResistRejectDenial
"We won't allow Trump and his fossil fuel billionaire cabinet to foreclose on our future"
Jan 23, 2017
To show that President Donald Trump's climate denialism does not have their consent, thousands of students at universities and colleges across the U.S. on Monday are expected to walk out of class to urge their campuses to divest their assets from the fossil fuel industry.
| #ResistRejectDenial Tweets |
"Continuing to act is how we keep hope alive and build the resistance even stronger," the GoFossilFree.org website declares of the action, dubbed #ResistRejectDenial.
Campuses with scheduled actions span from Evergreen State College in Washington State to University of Arizona to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.
At Harvard University, students are calling their action Inaugurate a New Harvard, and will deliver to the offices of University President Drew Faust a petition demanding, among other things, that the administration show climate change leadership. "A Trump era demands that we resist, protect, and progress at the local level," said university senior Mattea Mrkusic in a statement.
Speaking to the Real News Network, Varshini Prakash, senior campaign coach of the Divestment Student Network, said that Trump has chosen "the interests of the one percent over the interests of the people." That is "why we need really powerful movements now more than ever. And that's why youth are saying from day one--we're not going to lie low. They want us to be scared. They want us to be depressed. They want us to be sad. But that's not what we're going to do. We're here to fight," she said.
The call to action underscores the urgency driving the youth-led protest:
Time is up for our colleges and universities to divest from the fossil fuel industry and reinvest in a just transition away from fossil fuels. There is no room for neutrality when the president of the United States is actively threatening the very future of this planet.
These walkouts will be the first ripples of a wave of continuous escalation that will crest this Spring. This action is only the beginning--but the bigger we begin, the more impressive our impact will be in the weeks to come."
Added Greta Neubauer, director of the Divestment Student Network: "For any chance at curbing the worst impacts of climate change, our universities must stand on the right side of history with students and take action now against Trump's climate denial. We won't allow Trump and his fossil fuel billionaire cabinet to foreclose on our future."
The walkouts come two days after the Women's March on Washington and its sister marches on all continents, which drew over 2.5 million people to the streets.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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To show that President Donald Trump's climate denialism does not have their consent, thousands of students at universities and colleges across the U.S. on Monday are expected to walk out of class to urge their campuses to divest their assets from the fossil fuel industry.
| #ResistRejectDenial Tweets |
"Continuing to act is how we keep hope alive and build the resistance even stronger," the GoFossilFree.org website declares of the action, dubbed #ResistRejectDenial.
Campuses with scheduled actions span from Evergreen State College in Washington State to University of Arizona to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.
At Harvard University, students are calling their action Inaugurate a New Harvard, and will deliver to the offices of University President Drew Faust a petition demanding, among other things, that the administration show climate change leadership. "A Trump era demands that we resist, protect, and progress at the local level," said university senior Mattea Mrkusic in a statement.
Speaking to the Real News Network, Varshini Prakash, senior campaign coach of the Divestment Student Network, said that Trump has chosen "the interests of the one percent over the interests of the people." That is "why we need really powerful movements now more than ever. And that's why youth are saying from day one--we're not going to lie low. They want us to be scared. They want us to be depressed. They want us to be sad. But that's not what we're going to do. We're here to fight," she said.
The call to action underscores the urgency driving the youth-led protest:
Time is up for our colleges and universities to divest from the fossil fuel industry and reinvest in a just transition away from fossil fuels. There is no room for neutrality when the president of the United States is actively threatening the very future of this planet.
These walkouts will be the first ripples of a wave of continuous escalation that will crest this Spring. This action is only the beginning--but the bigger we begin, the more impressive our impact will be in the weeks to come."
Added Greta Neubauer, director of the Divestment Student Network: "For any chance at curbing the worst impacts of climate change, our universities must stand on the right side of history with students and take action now against Trump's climate denial. We won't allow Trump and his fossil fuel billionaire cabinet to foreclose on our future."
The walkouts come two days after the Women's March on Washington and its sister marches on all continents, which drew over 2.5 million people to the streets.
To show that President Donald Trump's climate denialism does not have their consent, thousands of students at universities and colleges across the U.S. on Monday are expected to walk out of class to urge their campuses to divest their assets from the fossil fuel industry.
| #ResistRejectDenial Tweets |
"Continuing to act is how we keep hope alive and build the resistance even stronger," the GoFossilFree.org website declares of the action, dubbed #ResistRejectDenial.
Campuses with scheduled actions span from Evergreen State College in Washington State to University of Arizona to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.
At Harvard University, students are calling their action Inaugurate a New Harvard, and will deliver to the offices of University President Drew Faust a petition demanding, among other things, that the administration show climate change leadership. "A Trump era demands that we resist, protect, and progress at the local level," said university senior Mattea Mrkusic in a statement.
Speaking to the Real News Network, Varshini Prakash, senior campaign coach of the Divestment Student Network, said that Trump has chosen "the interests of the one percent over the interests of the people." That is "why we need really powerful movements now more than ever. And that's why youth are saying from day one--we're not going to lie low. They want us to be scared. They want us to be depressed. They want us to be sad. But that's not what we're going to do. We're here to fight," she said.
The call to action underscores the urgency driving the youth-led protest:
Time is up for our colleges and universities to divest from the fossil fuel industry and reinvest in a just transition away from fossil fuels. There is no room for neutrality when the president of the United States is actively threatening the very future of this planet.
These walkouts will be the first ripples of a wave of continuous escalation that will crest this Spring. This action is only the beginning--but the bigger we begin, the more impressive our impact will be in the weeks to come."
Added Greta Neubauer, director of the Divestment Student Network: "For any chance at curbing the worst impacts of climate change, our universities must stand on the right side of history with students and take action now against Trump's climate denial. We won't allow Trump and his fossil fuel billionaire cabinet to foreclose on our future."
The walkouts come two days after the Women's March on Washington and its sister marches on all continents, which drew over 2.5 million people to the streets.
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