To the editor:
I urge Lincolnites concerned about climate change to join the Global Climate Strike in Boston on Friday, Sept. 20, and to join in activities planned for the “Week of Action” to follow.
Responding to Greta Thunberg’s call for an uprising to raise awareness about the climate crisis, young people have organized a large climate strike event in Boston. This is part of a national and international campaign to demand faster action from our governments and industries on climate change. The more people who show up, the stronger the message!
The schedule for the day includes:
- 10–11:30 a.m. — Community events at City Hall Plaza (art activities, partner organization tabling, sign making, community mural)
- 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Main rally at City Hall Plaza (speakers, dances/songs/bands, slam poetry)
- 1–1:30 p.m. — March to Massachusetts State House
- 1:30–2:30 p.m. — Action at Massachusetts State House
Many Lincolnites will take the 9:09 a.m. train into Boston. If you arrive at the Lincoln platform by 8:45 a.m., you will be in time for a blessing by the new rector of St/ Anne’s Church. Possible return trains include the 3:30 from North Station.
As Bill McKibben recently wrote in The Guardian, September 20 “is shaping up to be the biggest day of climate action in the planet’s history… But it will only be a success on the scale we need if lots of people who aren’t the regular suspects join in. Many people, of course, can’t do without a day’s pay, or work for bosses who would fire them if they missed work. So it really matters that those of us with the freedom to rally do so.”
If you can’t make it to Boston on Friday, similar local events are planned in:
- Sudbury (gather at First Parish UU Church, 327 Concord Rd., for sign creation at 11 a.m. and stand vigil at the common at noon)
- Lexington (join the march from the Minuteman statue on the town green at 9:30 a.m., or gather at the Lexington High School football field at 10 a.m.)
- other towns (I’ll be joining the event in Manhattan)
But wait, there’s more! The Week of Action following Sept. 20 includes the following opportunities for you:
- Sunday, Sept. 22 — 350 Massachusetts will kick off its weeklong Charlie Baker Climate Catastrophe Tour. Gather at the State House steps from noon–1 p.m., then march to South Station, where our oversized Charlie puppet will give a press conference and set off on his statewide tour of climate catastrophes. The fun will include street theater and singing the new climate version of “Charlie on the MTA.” Find more details here.
- Wednesday, Sept. 25 (preferably) — help flood the office of Chase Bank CEO Jamie Dimon with phone calls, demanding that Chase stop its massive lending to the worst parts of the fossil fuel industry. Find more background and a call script here.
- Thursday, Sept. 26 — make your voice heard from 7–9 a.m. at the Framingham commuter rail station (details here).
- Friday Sept. 27 — be at Dewey Park near South Station at 3:30 p.m. to join an action by Extinction Rebellion to “peacefully disrupt business as usual.” Find out more through their Facebook event page.
- Saturday Sept. 28 — be in Bow, N.H., by 11 a.m. to join in the protest against the coal plant there. Go here to get more details, indicate interest, and/or donate.
Sincerely,
Paul Shorb
99 South Great Rd., Lincoln