Threats from Trump administration drive peaceful demonstrations
by Erin Barrite
Inauguration weekend presented our chapter with three local opportunities to show how environmental justice walks arm-in-arm with issues of human rights, civil liberties and social justice.
Friday, January 20, "Rise Up for Justice" march and rally, San Jose.
Held on Inauguration Day, the event was organized by a coalition of 50 groups representing environmental, faith, immigration, healthcare, labor, social justice and other interests to protest the threats of injustice from the Trump administration.
Charles Schafer, who led the chapter’s delegation with Dave Poeschel, said, “Our participation here went a long way toward showing how the club’s concerns over environmental justice align with issues of human rights and social justice. We need to start addressing the hard issues, like the damage caused by refineries built in low-income neighborhoods.”
Starting from Cesar Chavez Plaza, participants marched to the Federal Building, circled the building several times, then headed to a rally in front of the San Jose City Hall. The rally featured speakers and performances from a diverse range of interests, including the homeless, DACA students, Aztec dancers, a family affected by police brutality, African drummers, and a transgender man, then concluded with an open mic session.
Saturday, January 21, Women’s March, San Jose.
The Sierra Club was a co-sponsor of the National Women’s March in Washington D.C., held on January 21, the day after the inauguration. At one of 673 sister rallies organized around the world, the Women’s March in San Jose attracted more than 25,000 attendees—of every gender and age—to support human rights, civil liberties, social justice and environmental justice. Our chapter’s participants held the club’s banner, which immediately attracted a dozen club members who emerged from the crowd and volunteered to carry Sierra Club signs.
The march moved peacefully from San Jose City Hall to Plaza de Cesar Chavez, where San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and City Council members kicked off the rally. District 3 Councilman Raul Peralez noted in his talk that the marchers represented not only women’s rights and social justice, but environmental justice as well.
At the Sierra Club sponsor table, hundreds of visitors asked about chapter programs and offered to sign up as volunteers on the spot, motivated by the actions of the new administration. Chapter Director James Eggers was interviewed by the Silicon Valley Business Journal [watch the interview at 2:40 - 3:25], where he tied the club’s participation to the messages of the Women’s March and the overall business climate.
“It’s a well known fact that when the environment is destroyed, the profits go to the top one percent, but the destruction injures the rest of us,” said Eggers.
Saturday, January 21, Community Action/Women’s Rally, Redwood City.
What started as a Community Action Rally by some members of the Belmont and Redwood City Councils grew into a huge event supporting the "think globally, act locally" movement. Held January 21 in conjunction with the Woman's Marches around the world, the rally took place in the square in front of the old courthouse (now the San Mateo County History Museum).
Redwood City police estimated more than 4,000 participants, and were forced to close the adjoining street to accommodate the overflow crowd. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and County Supervisor Carole Groom rallied the crowd along with other speakers, and Joan Baez performed with other local musicians.
Chapter Coordinator Barbara Kelsey staffed the sponsor table with chapter members Joyce Wright and Gladwyn d’Souza, displaying signs representing the club’s commitment to gender equity and women’s rights.
“This was the ideal place to get our name and message out to people in San Mateo county north,” said Kelsey. “As a perfect example of a peaceful demonstration, we were all there to support each other and learn how to resist the changes taking place in America all too fast.”
Author bio
Erin Barrite is a member of the editorial board of the Loma Prieta chapter newsletter.
Get Involved
Mark your calendar: People’s Climate March, April 29, 2017
Join the Sierra Club and People’s Climate Movement this April 29th in Washington, D.C. and across the country to stand up for our communities and climate. Throughout the first 100 days of the new administration, the People's Climate Movement is organizing a country-wide arc of action, culminating on April 29th in Washington DC in a powerful mobilization to unite all of our movements. Click here for more information: http://www.peoplesclimate.org/