Dear John
On Friday, thousands of students -- hopefully hundreds of thousands -- will take the streets for a massive demonstration to confront the climate crisis. Young people are striking from school, leading the way for the rest of us to make bolder demands and take more ambitious action.
I’ll be in the streets marching with my daughter Rosa and her classmates, and I hope you’ll join us [[link removed]] .
Our kids are modeling what is required of us to confront the scale of the emergency our planet is facing. From Greta Thunberg inspiring millions to join #ClimateStrikes to the Sunrise Movement organizers who demanded and won attention to the Green New Deal, young people are radically reshaping the conversation around climate change, bringing the sense of urgency and the scale of action that the crisis demands.
The past two weekends I visited students gathered in Thomas Greene Park in Gowanus making signs, t-shirts, and art in preparation for the strike (with the support of ArtBuiltNYC [[link removed]] and 350.org). When the students chant “The oceans are rising / And so are we!” on Friday, you’ll know that the waves were made right here in Gowanus, by young people who lived through Hurricane Sandy and know that they will personally face the impacts of climate change.
New York City public schools announced that they will be excusing absences of students who participate in the march -- in response to calls from students, as well as a letter that I organized [[link removed]] at their request, signed by 15 fellow Councilmembers asking the DOE to find a way to encourage and support students to learn about and take action to address the climate emergency. Here in District 39, students from M.S. 51 and M.S. 447 will be gathering together to rally on the turf at J.J. Byrne Playground/Washington Park. Young people are fighting hard for the future of the planet that sustains us all, and I’m grateful that they will be supported in their fight.
These strikes are an urgent call to action from the people with the most to lose, and the most to gain.
See you amidst the (cardboard) waves,
Brad
Council Member Brad Lander
456 5th Avenue
Third Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11215
United States
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