Thousands of people gather to strike with Greta Thunberg
On Friday, Nov. 1, thousands of students from all around Los Angeles took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles demanding climate action. Leading the school strike was Greta Thunberg, the familiar face behind the global climate justice movement. Many Samo students participated in the walkout, exiting campus after 2nd period and taking the Metro downtown to strike alongside Thunberg. Thunberg is a 16-year-old Swedish climate activist with Asperger’s syndrome. She began skipping school every Friday and standing in front of the Swedish parliament building demanding a call for stronger climate action. She has inspired millions to strike, and has started a worldwide movement called Fridays For Future. Each week, Fridays For Future has many small, local strikes, but a few of the strikes have been global, attracting participation from many Samo students. Striking for the climate will result in truancy on students' attendance records; nevertheless, students continue to walk out of school and advocate for their planet. As of August 2019, Thunberg has been traveling the world by boat and train to reduce her carbon footprint, striking with a different city every week. So far, she has been to cities all around Europe and has toured North America, traveling across the Atlantic Ocean to speak and strike in New York City. After striking in various other U.S. cities such as Denver, Iowa City and Rapid City, she travelled across Canada, visiting Vancouver, Alberta and Edmonton. The last strike of her tour was on Nov. 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is currently sailing back to Europe. Thunberg has inspired people to take action and has raised awareness towards the ever growing climate crisis. She has sparked a worldwide movement, and people have coined the term “Greta effect” to describe her impact. Thunberg’s words have inspired many Angelinos, as over 3,000 people gathered around the Los Angeles City Hall to listen to her give a speech at the Nov. 1 march. Her speeches have highlighted different aspects of the issues facing the planet and have all been mainly directed at lawmakers. “Greta is an inspiration to all youth, and we witnessed history watching her. I’m so grateful to have been there. I hadn’t been to any of the previous strikes or marches but I could tell this one was special. I’m so honored to have been in the presence of such an important and impactful leader,” Riley Pierce (’22) said. In Los Angeles, Thunberg spoke among various other youth climate activists, all of whom demanded that Governor Gavin Newsom take action and ban oil drilling in California. The majority of the speakers were indigenous people and people of color who highlighted the often-ignored fact that the climate crisis disproportionately affects minorities. They shared their stories of the oil refineries located in low income communities consisting mostly of minorities, and the health issues individuals in these communities have developed due to air pollution. They demanded an end to oil companies, putting strong emphasis not only on the health of the planet but also the people living on it. Thunberg’s movement continues to grow, and she plans to continue striking in European cities. The next climate strike is on Friday, Nov. 29, a global climate strike in Downtown Santa Monica.