I participated in the march to end fossil fuels in two of the nation's most significant cities: New York and Washington, D.C. In this blog post, I will share my experiences, insights, and reflections on these events that brought together activists, musicians, and advocates for a better future.
In New York City, on Constitution Day (9/16/23), we gathered at the Commissioner's Plaza. The event was a vibrant mix of musicians, banners, loudspeakers, and readings about the history of corporate influence in our democracy, tracing back to the days before the Bill of Rights. For instance, in the landmark Marbury vs. Madison case of 1803, Thomas Jefferson famously warned, "The constitution on this hypothesis is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary, which they may twist and shape into any form they please." You can explore more about the erosion of democracy on the Move to Amend website.
After the event, Alfonso and I hurriedly gathered our equipment and rushed to set up for my livestream of the "Yoga for the Citizens Climate Lobby" event during the inclusion and diversity conference. Despite the challenge of cuing movements for an online audience, the positive feedback and expressions of gratitude from participants reassured me that I had contributed positively. As it was my second time doing so, I felt safe and confident in my cuing different feelings and movements for a crowd I could not see – somewhere online practicing along. (I had to keep reminding myself: “they ARE practicing along” not just watching with a magnifying glass trying to find my mistakes and weaknesses. This is the kind of anxiety you deal with in the online world. One I hope to challenge and face as I write more of my thoughts and ideas and actions in public spaces, for all to view! #therapyaintcheap). At the End it was relieving and I did get many “thank you’s” and “you helped with my back stiffness!” ...Appreciations for the vibes. So I could rest easy that my job was done.
We arrived at the march site set up point the next day. I was very proud to be among the group carrying the constitution down 38th street New York, though I am still learning more about the implications of a real democracy and the limitations under which we find ourselves in this corporate plutocracy, full of trauma, shame, high stress and competition in a false scarcity, rather than a real abundance, collaboratively shared among people who consider each other equals. I chanted many things among them “who’s in charge ? we the people?” & also “Hey hey!, ho ho! (corporate greed)(fossil fuels) ( corporate rule) (bank created money ) has got to go!” As the extent of these problems reaches you and you see the scale of the created world, the built environment, the overarching system that we are fighting- it is hard to not be disillusioned with previous generations, to be mad that they weren’t outraged earlier as you are now- or that they were not civil and peaceful enough to make peace last. (Does peace last or does one dominant group always get to the top and become an oppressor of his fellow man? I’d have to venture into studies of economic turmoil in pre-Nazi Germany to find out more. Soon we will plan a viewing of the Shillings From heaven, a movie set in this time period.. food for later thoughts)
“Polluters go to jail- the planet’s not for sale!” Is one that I had moral quandary with screaming. Jails should not exist. I wouldn’t want to send anyone there. But also polluters would not exist either as a culture of utmost respect and solidarity with the earth would prevail and all would have their needs abundantly met by collaborative systems. Some thoughts as to how we approach reprimand with harm caused. ‘The people gonna rise like the water- we’re gonna bring these systems down- I hear the voice of my great granddaughter: “end corporate rule/climate justice now”’ was another inspirational chant rallied down the streets of New York for a solid 5 hours. I felt awkward saying “my great granddaughter s I’ve never daydreamed about that far into my future where I would have children or grand children for that matter. I’m of the generation that feels like bringing a child into this world would be assured damnation and suffering for them, but also an unethical burden on the planet when so many are born already without sufficient resources to be well. Bringing the systems down still sounds a tad bit aggressive to say out loud- reform sounds better than abolition. IF we can mold these countries systems for the better it will start with us questioning our feelings allegiances and desires to a democratic form of government.
The second leg of my trip was to Washington DC. As we crossed the unceded territory of the Powhatan confederacy and I saw the vast riverways and railroads that connected this land, I was also listening to the audiobook of an Indigenous People’s History of The United States. Ample space for reflection as I encountered more faces of African decent than those of native Americans, and as I tallied their socioeconomic status by race and stature in society. History is quite present with us and only by really studying it and searching for the threads that unfold into the present can we know which thread lead to a necessary unraveling of the systems. We watched a very inspirational film about democracy, finding middle ground, compromise, and leading by example that was part of a tour in Congress. (Thanks Congresswoman Escobar’s nice staffers!) We saw the desks on the house of representatives halls, and the statues and portraits of the important people on whom history was shining a limelight. “History has its eyes on you.”.
We attended 4 scheduled lobby meetings and talked with dozens of interns and aides courteously about supporting a We the people amendment-. The halls were overtaken by people and suits, and about a third, of people in advocacy shirts- for cancer awareness and research, water as a human right, and trans youth liberation, for the workers. And others who were not identifying their cause proudly. I dressed to the occasion being a lifeguard lady of liberty- having a stack of bookmarks on monetary reform on hand, and ready to receive congressional aides business cards. We paraded for our cause proudly during the 2 days, and we also did presentations, direct action with permits on the steps of the supreme court and in Lafayette park.
We tried to do all these actions with as small a budget as possible, we took public transportation, including DC metro, NY subway, buses, amtrack trains, and of course- when the body failed with fatigue we opted to pool our moneys and support an UBERXL that could support our large and democratic 9 ft poles.
The people we encountered along the way were excited to hear what we were up to. Who were these Floridians and Texas coming up there to talk about democracy? We left many with business cards flyers and a plea for them to sign the petition and call their congressperson. We can only hope a fraction of them still have a hope in democracy. What we saw along the way – the mundane people and their struggles. Getting anywhere took more than 15 minutes that ‘s for sure. Maybe that’s why quality of life seemed low. Maybe it was the air pollution, or the gnawing feeling that another flood, of wave of wildfire smoke, or heat could strike again at any time. That’s why I marched to End Fossil fuels.
One lesson learned that I’d like to bring to our work in mayday for money was the many chants, and also to just invite as many orgs as possible to bring their own message and tie it in their own way with a a clear concise ask from us all. Whether that will be #justMoney for a #justTransition or #monetaryReform to be aligned with the #constitution well, so be it.
This is what I’ll be working on next- so if you wanna follow along as I try to document mundane adventures!
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