On September 8th Wisconsinites rallied together across the state to take part in the People's Climate Movement Day of Action: Rise for Climate, Jobs, and Justice. Empowered and united as one, each march served to demonstrate the large, broad, and powerful demand for bold climate action. Throughout the Wisconsin events, a multitude of speeches were given by leaders on a broad range of issues, concerns, and calls, but the same pronounced belief that we need to immediately embrace bold action that leads to climate and environmental justice.
Wisconsin’s events joined other events across the world and a massive march in San Francisco calling for this bold action. People in more than 89 countries took part in over 730 actions to demonstrate the urgency of the climate crisis and call for real climate action in hundreds of creative actions taking place ahead of the Global Climate Action Summit. The Summit has invited every mayor, governor, and local leader in the world to make a bold climate commitment to help the world reach the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Hundreds of people attended events in Wisconsin in Appleton, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Minocqua, Monona, Platteville, and Wauwatosa.
Here are some highlights and a summary of some of these events:
Milwaukee
The biggest march of the day took place in Milwaukee, bringing together 50 organizations and over 400 people from southeast Wisconsin for a rally in downtown Milwaukee and a march to City Hall. At the rally at Zeidler Union Square, participants were able to learn from the partners during tabling and register to vote. The rally including incredible speakers:
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Art Shegonee, Native American ambassador to Wisconsin Indian Summer and Call for Peace Drum & Dance Company and member of the Menominee and Potowatomi tribes in Wisconsin.
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Luz Sosa, an economics instructor at the Milwaukee Area Technical College, an organizer for Citizen Action of Wisconsin and a leader of the state’s Latino community
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Pastor Greg Lewis, the President of Pastors United, which grew out of a November 2012 get-out-the-vote rally by faith-based organizations on the steps of Milwaukee's Zeidler Municipal Building. That morphed into a formal organization that has been building steam. Pastor Greg Lewis is also an Assistant Pastor at St. Gabriel’s Church of God and the Religious Affairs Committee Chair for NAACP-Milwaukee.
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Sister Janet Weyker, a Racine Dominican Sister and was the founding director of the Eco-Justice Center in Racine. As an educator, administrator and environmentalist, she is concerned about sustainability of our Earth and the need to protect the health of all living beings by ensuring clean air, water, and soil.
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Brenda Coley, the Co-Executive Director of Milwaukee Water Commons. Before joining Milwaukee Water Commons, Coley was the sole proprietor of Brenda Coley & Associates. Her clients have included the Salvation Army, National Institute on Mental Health, Medical College of Milwaukee Institute on Diversity, Cultures & Communities UW- Milwaukee, and the Women of Color Network.
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Huda Alkaff, the founder and director of Wisconsin Green Muslims, a grassroots environmental justice group formed in 2005, connecting faith, environmental justice, and sustainability through education and service. As an ecologist and environmental educator, Huda leads “Just Solar” and “Faithful Rainwater Harvesting” Initiatives rooted in justice, equity and inclusion.
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Representative Greta Neubauer, elected this January to represent her hometown of Racine in the Wisconsin Assembly. She ran on a platform of fighting for a “Green New Deal” for Wisconsin and is working hard to translate that vision into policy. Formerly, she organized as a student in the fossil fuel divestment movement and ran a national nonprofit that supported the youth climate movement.
The rally was also emceed by long-time environmental justice leader and activist George Martin of 350-Milwaukee and Peace Action Wisconsin. There was music provided by Chris Meyer and David Draper. Given the event an element of whimsy and theatrical flare, a roaming street theater cast of fossil fuel villains and climate superheros (some of whom were played by students from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee improv team), demonstrated the need to switch our reliance away from dirty fuel. You can read the press release here or watch the full thing here.
Partners included: 350-Milwaukee, 350 Stevens Point, Black Leaders Organizing Communities, Bublr Bikes, Casa Maria Catholic Workers, Catholics for Peace and Justice, Citizens' Climate Lobby - Racine/Kenosha, Citizen Action, Citizens Acting for Rail Safety (CARS)- Watertown, Clean Air Moms Action-Wisconsin, Congregations United to Serve Humanity (CUSH), Cream City Conservation, Democratic Socialists of America, Eco Justice Center, First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee- Earth Justice Ministry, Friends of Milwaukee’s Downtown Forest, Gaia Coalition Network, Grassroots Northshore, Grassroots Southshore, Grassroots Tosa, Greater Milwaukee Green Party, Green Party Wisconsin, Interfaith Earth Network, Milwaukee DSA, Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH), Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA), Milwaukee Water Commons, NextGen America, Organizing for Action, Our Wisconsin Revolution-Milwaukee, PDA Milwaukee, Peace Action Wisconsin, Racine Interfaith Coalition (RIC), Rid Racism Milwaukee, SE WI NORML, Sierra Club, Stewards of Prophetic Hopeful Intentional Action (SOPHIA), Students Allied for a Green Earth (SAGE), Sunrise Movement SE Wisconsin, Tax March Wisconsin, United Nations Association, UW Waukesha Ecology Club, WAVE-Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, Victory Garden Initiative, Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, Water Protectors of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba, Wisconsin Education Association Council, Region 7, Wisconsin Green Muslims, Wisconsin Interfaith Power and Light, Wisconsin Poor People's Campaign, WISDOM, Working Families Party
Photo credits: Joe Brusky
Minocqua
Over 100 people gathered for a march in Minocqua, ending with a few great speakers, including Margaret Engebretson, the Democratic candidate for Congress, our Chapter Director, Bill Davis, and Dennis O'Brien of the Northern Wisconsin Center For Working People.
Our Chapter Director, Bill Davis, spoke at the Minocqua event, sharing some wise words with the crowd. Taking inspiration from Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities”, Bill clearly laid out why we are at such a pivotal time in the clean energy revolution:
“It is the best of times… because of the advances we have made in renewable energy technology, transportation technology, energy conservation, computer system to tie it all together and maximize its utility … We are in a time when the question is when we will completely shift to renewable energy not if.”
You can learn more about the Minocqua event here
Appleton
About 30 people participated for an hour of displaying signs and banners. Perhaps another 20 briefly joined us for conversations and questions. Ultimately a simple event with signs standing on the corners of a busy intersection downtown drew a lot of attention and demonstrated Appleton’s support for climate action at the summit. You can learn more here
La Crosse
People from Minnesota and Wisconsin gathered in La Crosse to hear what they could do locally to ensure bold climate action including voting, getting involved in a local campaign to get La Crosse to commit to 100% clean energy! Speakers included:
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Ho-Chunk Nation Member Bill Greendeer to talk about holding leaders in society responsible for the well-being of existing and next generations (Seven Generations principle) and also the ethical idea of the Rights of Nature
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Organizer Janette Dean welcomed everyone and explain why environmental policy is the fastest way we can protect our planet
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Member of La Crosse's Hmoob/Hmong Community shared Hmoob environmental concepts that apply to climate protection
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University of Wisconsin- La Crosse Professor Paul Reyerson spoke on the latest global and national climate science and impacts
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Sustainability Institute's Casey Meehan spoke on Midwestern state impacts & some of the many opportunities and benefits of sustainability
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Coulee Region Sierra Club Vice Chair Kathy Allen to share their candidate endorsements and to share CRSC's Ready for 100 effort (100% renewables by 2050 or sooner)
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Ken Tschumper, Former Minnesota State Representative talked about Minnesota's clean energy legislation
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La Crosse Democrats spokesperson Roz Schnick read a climate-related statement from WI Gubernatorial candidate Tony Evers & WI Rep. Jill Billings
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Charles Davis, Sr. of Tomah - Oglala Lakota, of the Oceti Sakowin spoke at kicked of singing, dancing, and chanting
You can learn more here, see all the photos here, or watch some of the key speakers here.
Monona
Over 120 people attended a rally with excellent speakers. Former Monona Alder and event co-organizer Peter McKeever added “The science is clear. Climate change makes for more intense weather events. The recent floods have brought this issue right to our shores and doors. Every community is affected and every community must take action.” The rally and discussion focused largely on local action in Monona with city leaders explaining what’s happening here. Chapter Chair, Don Ferber spoke at this event.
Platteville
In Platteville, we brought the demand for climate action to the people! Interactive tabling and discussions at the Farmer’s Market asking people to come up and state their concerns about climate change. People also wrote postcards to elected officials on climate change that were collected and mailed in.
Madison
Another Farmer’s Market takeover! In Madison, activists hosted street theater about the local tar sands pipeline fight. It definitely caught a lot of attention!
Wauwatosa
Latching on to the annual ‘Tosa Fest’, people in Wauwatosa held their own ‘Green Fair’ that allowed people to learn from tabling from dozens of organizations, to learn about sustainable practices like rain barrels, and more!
The efforts of the Sierra Club’s dedicated volunteers as well as their partner organizations, proved themselves to be worth it, as the day successfully brought together environmental advocates from all over the state. To continue riding the wave of activism brought forth from this day’s events, stay informed, stay active and make sure to go out and vote in the upcoming election cycle.