Bridget Lord: Climate Change and Gender Equality Activist

Reem Sabha
Nov 4 · 3 min read

Bridget Lord is a youth organizer and climate change and gender equality activist from Massachusetts.

How did you get involved with the climate justice movement?

In August I got really excited hearing about the climate strikes happening. I founded Fridays for Future Massachusetts and helped plan the Boston one as a representative of Fridays for Future MA.

What are the goals of the Fridays for Future Movement?

We focus on the science and telling politicians to listen to the experts. We also do digital striking — we brought over the green ribbon project [from France] and it basically just raises awareness about climate change. The response from my school has been really great.

Maybe I’m old, but can you explain digital striking to me?

Basically, you make a sign or you can draw it on your phone, and you take a picture with yourself and you post a little message about standing with Fridays for Future, and George Zheng [the founder of the digital striking movement] makes a grid image with all the pictures.

How can people get involved in the climate justice movement?

I think that the first step is to educate yourself and go out and find multiple trusted resources. Don’t just look at CNN or at FOX. Look at the science. A lot of people get wrapped up in these groups, and they’re great, but Fridays for Future is a grassroots movement. Start with something that is smaller and that you can definitely affect change with.

How can people get involved with Fridays for Future?

It is really easy to get involved. There are a lot of organizations that are really hierarchical, and that’s exactly what we’re not. You don’t have to know anything, you just have to care. Honestly, find anyone who is involved with Fridays for Future to get started. We just want anyone who cares.

What are some challenges you’ve faced as a young person in the climate justice movement?

You would be surprised how many discouraging comments you’d get, even from other people in the movement. It is usually older environmental activists. And then there are adults and politicians that you used to look up to, but now you’re like wait, you know about this, and you’re not doing anything. It’s also tough to get people to take you seriously because you’re young and you’re not an expert.

So the September 20th climate strikes are all wrapped up — what comes next?

With Fridays for Future we try to focus on consistent actions. Fridays for Future is having another strike on 11/29. Some big cities in Europe and NY are having strikes on 12/06. You can stay involved through local actions — for example, we are planning a lobbying day soon and a community clean-up in Boston. There’s always stuff happening.

What are other causes that you care about?

I’m a part of my local Girl Up organization, which is a UN initiative. We focus a lot on women’s leadership and empowerment around the world. I am currently planning a fundraiser in March for Women’s Month. I am also a part for my school’s multicultural club, and we just wrapped up a fundraiser to improve water filtration at the Navajo Reservation.

What gives you hope for the future?

When you become part of these organizations, you meet so many people that you never would have known before. There are people who care as much as you do and who are working towards justice like you are. When you finally see the people that are doing similar things as you, its really helpful. I think we’re gonna keep making changes because its the only choice.

Don’t forget to follow Friday’s for Future Massachusetts: @fridaysforfuturema.

Meet The Activist

Meet the Activist is a series highlighting how young people are contributing to our national discourse by pushing the status quo.

Reem Sabha

Written by

Meet The Activist

Meet the Activist is a series highlighting how young people are contributing to our national discourse by pushing the status quo.

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