Why We Marched
Photos and voices from the 2017 Peoples Climate March in Washington, D.C. More than 200,000 people descended on the nation's capital to demand action on climate change. Here are just a few of the thousands of reasons why they came, and why we must act now.
Rose Whipple and Amber Cross, Minnesota:
“I’m marching because climate change is real. We have to show our government that the people have a voice and that we will continue to rise and fight for our Earth no matter what,” said Whipple.
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Rose Whipple, left, of St. Paul, Minnesota, who spoke of fighting for our Earth, marches next to her friend Amber Cross of Bemidji, Minnesota.
Eve Tetaz, District of Columbia:
“You have to be the change you want to see in the world.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Eve Tetaz marches in the Peoples Climate March. The 84-year-old was marching while holding a banner with one hand and her walker with the other. A peace and justice activist, Tetaz is a retired educator who taught in Washington, D.C.'s public schools.
Meeyoung Kim-Tawerilmal, Micronesia:
“Where I live, in Micronesia, sea rise is hurting my friends and family. So me and this little climate change activist are here because we have to act now. Climate change is happening.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Meeyoung Kim-Tawerilmal and her son Troy came all the way from Micronesia to take part in the Peoples Climate March.
Stanley Morgan, Pennsylvania:
“All people, of all races and income levels, need access to healthy food, and climate change is challenging that. So, I’m marching for food justice.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Stanley Morgan, an urban farmer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, stands at the front of the Peoples Climate March.
John Grossman, Massachusetts:
“I’m marching because climate change is an issue of justice for the working people of the world. I am here in solidarity with workers everywhere.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
John Grossman, a member of SEIU 509, marches with a contingent of SEIU workers in the Peoples Climate March. SEIU was one of many union and worker groups that marched.
Yudith Nieto, Texas:
“I am here to stand in solidarity with other fenceline communities who are impacted by the fossil fuel industry.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Yudith Nieto at the Peoples Climate March. Nieto is an environmental justice advocate who monitors air quality in her community of Manchester in Houston, Texas. Manchester sits in the shadow of an oil refinery. Nieto and her neighbors are fighting to clean up the air.
Jade Bennett and Kayla Tavares, Florida:
“I am marching in support of renewable energy,” said Bennett. “And I’m here because Jade is so passionate about this. So, I’m marching for friendship,” said Tavares.
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Kayla Tavares, left, and Jade Bennett at the Peoples Climate March. Bennett is an environmental engineering student who is passionate about renewable energy technology.
Myron Dewey, Nevada:
“This march is part of the much larger and older Indigenous-led movement that seeks to remind the people of the world to take care of the Earth, because it will then take care of us. I’m marching for those beliefs.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Myron Dewey raises his fist as the Peoples Climate March moves past the new Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C. Dewey was a drone operator at Standing Rock whose footage kept the Water Protectors aware of pipeline operations and kept the world informed about the story of the resistance.
Lindsay Michelle, District of Columbia:
“Hurricane Katrina showed us that black neighborhoods with the fewest resources have a harder time escaping, surviving and recovering from natural disasters. The fight for DAPL is still happening. These occurrences, and many others related to climate change, all affect people of color. We fight against climate change, because it affects us the most. People of color, I march for us!”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Lindsay Michelle leads a chant in front of the White House during the Peoples Climate March.
Robert Bank, New York:
“Many of the first victims of climate change are some of the poorest among us, so we are marching for justice for the poor.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Robert Bank, center, President of the American Jewish World Service, stands with a group from the organization. The group was part of a coalition of many faith groups that joined the march in solidarity.
Selena Ramos, Minnesota:
“I am marching because everybody in the world—everybody—has the right to clean drinking water, beautiful trees, blue skies and to be able to see the animals in the wild.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Selena Ramos, age 10 of Saint Paul, Minnesota, at the front of the Peoples Climate March.
Shawn Williams, Maryland:
“I am marching because our communities of color suffer from the silenced issue of ‘environmental racism.’ Flint still does not have water, and my children are forced to drink and breathe toxics everyday. I am marching to remind the world that black and brown people are the most impacted by climate change.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Shawn Williams, a community organizer, rallies people as the march passes in front of the White House. Williams marched with a large coalition from Black Lives Matter.
Jonathan Smith, New York:
“The politicians in Washington need to know that the people of America don’t support their climate policies.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Jonathan Smith of New York, New York, at the end of the Peoples Climate March. Smith is an attorney for Earthjustice, and he is currently working on cases to clean up air pollution from CAFOs and address civil rights violations by the EPA.
Sara Wescott, Wisconsin:
“We march for our children and their children, for those unborn and in honor of our ancestors who walked before us. We walk to create awareness.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Sara Wescott of the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin walks in the Peoples Climate March.
Zachary Sarantitis, Oden Gomez, Carl Biers, and Joey Biers-Browne, New York:
“We are marching because we don’t want the Earth to turn into one big desert,” said Gomez. “We are at the point where we need to take action now, and so we are taking action,” added Sarantitis.
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
From left to right, Zachary Sarantitis, Oden Gomez, Carl Biers, and Joey Biers-Browne, came as a group to the march from Brooklyn, New York. “I’m honored to be marching with these boys. I’m here so that these boys can have a healthy planet to grow up on,” said Carl Biers.
Kiani Naranjo, Texas:
“I’m here to show solidarity with my brothers and sisters of all races who are being oppressed, and whose environments are being destroyed for corporate profits. I am here to let the government know that we have a voice and that we are saying that we will not take this anymore.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Kiani Naranjo, who is part of the Trans-Pecos Pipeline resistance camp in west Texas, at the start of the Peoples Climate March.
Trip Van Noppen, California:
“I’m marching because I’m part of the resistance, in solidarity with so many partners and allies, and because I have great hope for our future.”
Chris Jordan-Bloch and Kyle Da Silva / Earthjustice
Trip Van Noppen, president of Earthjustice, speaks to a group of supporters at the Peoples Climate March.
These are a few of the thousands of reasons why we marched in Washington, D.C. Were you in D.C. or did you join a sister climate march? If so, please share why you marched or why you believe that we must act now to address climate change.
Why do you march?