Oakland climate strike kicks off at Laney College

Climate strikers of all ages rallied on the Laney College quad before they boarded BART to join marchers in San Francisco. Students from nearby Montclair Elementary and St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Oakland sat front and center as speakers sang songs and called for direct action under the threat of Climate Change.

Photos by Saskia Hatvany

Students from nearby Montclair Elementary and St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Oakland sit front and center on the Laney College quad.

English instructor and Chair of the Laney English Department Chris Weidenbach (left) speaks to a crowd gathered at the Laney College quad on Sept. 20 for the international climate strike. Weidenbach was one of the organizers of the event and is teaming up with Peralta community members to start a climate initiative at the colleges.

Merritt College student Victor Coffield (left), is working with faculty member Chris Weidenbach to start a student-led climate initiative at Peralta Colleges. “My main idea is that we the people are responsible for our future, we are responsible for the condition we are in now because we outnumber the super-rich by a thousand to one…people are beginning to take responsibility for global warming.”

“When I went to Alaska, I saw the glaciers melting away, but I want them to stay there,” said one little girl (left) who spoke to the crowd.

Saskia Hatvany is a reporter for the Laney Tower. Contact her at saskiahatvany@gmail.com