by: Emma Fleming
On Friday, Sept 20, students and community members gathered on the University of Illinois campus to fight against climate change. Students across the world skipped class on Friday to demonstrate how climate change is an urgent matter. The U of I’s branch of the global climate strike included marches, speeches and a die-in.
The march, which was a part of the global marches inspired by climate activist Greta Thunberg, started at the Undergraduate Library at 10:30 a.m. The march promptly began at 10:40 a.m. on the North Quad. The march ended at the Alma Mater statue where students and community leaders gave speeches.
Even though this was an event organized by U of I students, there were quite a few Parkland students in attendance. Ayla McDonald, a liberal arts and sciences major at Parkland, told the Prospectus about her experience at the event. “I marched today because I am very concerned about the current state of our environment and I’m very concerned about climate change,” McDonald said. “I fear for the ultimate extinction of humanity and I feel that while protesting may not do much on large scale, it does have potential to make changes just by starting a dialogue.” McDonald, being the secretary of Parkland’s Sustainability Club, participated in all facets of the event.
The event attracted a lot of attention. There were many protestors as well as onlookers. “The turnout was beyond what I was expecting. There were so many people there and they stayed for the entirety of the march,” McDonald said. “It was really encouraging just seeing the number of students and local community members who turned out, as well as the enthusiasm.”
At the march, there were student organizers who led the rest of the protestors in chants. Some of the chants that were sung were, “No more coal, no more oil, keep that carbon in the soil,” and “Hey hey, U of I, please don’t let our planet die.” Many of these chants were sung when the protestors split into different groups to block the entrances of the different buildings on the quad. The chants were intended to catch peoples’ attention as well as generate a sense of urgency.
A unique form of protest was conducted at the end of the strike. The students and community participated in a die-in, which is a demonstration where people lie down as if they are dead. “The number of people who remained went to the intersections of Goodwin and Wright Streets and did a die-in, which is essentially when you pretend to die to raise awareness for a cause,” McDonald said. “We ran into the intersection when the pedestrian crossing signs were on while all the traffic was stopped for 30 seconds to raise awareness for climate change.”
According to the Washington Post, the global climate strikes that occurred on Friday contributed to one of the largest youth-led demonstrations in history. Friday’s protests also took place in over 150 countries, connecting youth worldwide. “I think that the U of I’s branch of the protest contributed to the global movement. There were protests happening all over the world and we were one. There is a feeling of consolidation that comes with knowing that people all over the world are fighting for the same cause and fighting for survival,” McDonald said. “At the local level, it was important because it was one of the few organized climate protests that happened in Illinois. It was really encouraging being able to incite activism in our own community.”
Based upon the amount of people who attended, and the overall feeling generated by the protestors, the event seemed to be a successful one. Students chanted, wielded signs, made music and marched in order to encourage lawmakers to act on climate change.
