Overlake at the Global Climate Strike
On Friday the 20th, a group of Overlake students missed class in favor of busing to downtown Seattle in order to participate in a global climate strike. “It was going to be the greatest mobilization of a climate protest in world history. It was also really relevant because of the UN climate summit,” said senior Silvia Nica when asked about her reason for attending. The students walked all the way from Cal Anderson Park to Seattle City Hall for the strike. Silvia recounted that “Part of the march was singing songs, chants, and cheering because of the news helicopters flying above. News coverage was a big part of the movement.” We asked some of the attendees to share what they hoped to accomplish at the strike. Sophomore Jared Goodman and senior Aikas Bajaj both spoke about rallying for the Seattle Green New Deal, as well as plans to get Seattle to use less carbon. Besides political change, the attendees were hoping to raise awareness about environmental activism and boost the morale of those already involved.
Overlakers also talked about the overall success of the strike. Aikas said, “the strike was mainly organized by young people, which speaks to how the future wants to raise awareness about climate change.” Sophomore Riya Sharma agreed, but added that “in terms of real success, I don’t think we’re going to see that right away.”
At Seattle City Hall, the crowd listened to many inspirational speeches from young people from our area. We thought it would be interesting to hear the attendees’ opinions about another young speaker, Greta Thunberg. Thunberg is a 16-year-old environmental activist from Sweden who made her voice heard during the UN climate summit. For those interested in listening to her speech, please click here.
When asked her thoughts on Thunberg’s speech, Silvia responded, “I thought it was very important. I liked that she was emotionally candid and that she didn’t feel the need to filter her rage about the issue. A lot of young people feel this way about the issue. She’s become a figurehead for this.” Riya agreed, adding, “I really like her. I think the whole world is in awe of her, and I support that. She’s so young and doing so much. I’m just scared that people are turning her into an icon without listening to her words.” We also asked what Overlakers might have done differently in her place. Aikas commented that “I really liked the ideas she captured, specifically the sense of urgency in her message.” Both Silvia and Riya recognized that the purpose of Thunberg’s speech was a unifying rally, and they both agreed that a speech resulting in action should include more specific examples. In Riya’s words, “I think we need to be more specific about what we’re asking for. But still, kudos to her, no criticism.”
All in all, the participants of the global climate strike were satisfied with the results. They look forward to the next event and encourage all students to help raise awareness about our environment!
Photo credits: Aikas Bajaj
