By Kim McGinley
Friday, February 6th at 11:30 p.m. San Diego Activists, including representatives from The Ocean Beach Green Center, began gathering at the Old Town trolley station to hop on board a charter bus heading to California Governor Brown’s neighborhood in Oakland.
The goal was to encourage the Governor to be a “climate leader” and stand strong against big corporate money; as well as the always present goal to bring about awareness, education, and the necessity for action to respect, preserve, and protect the planet on which we all reside.
Thanks to the awesome organizers at 350.org, San Diego had good representation with approximately 120 attendees registered to march. Kudos also to our City’s King Chavez Middle School as they filled a charter bus to join in on the movement.
Upon arrival in Oakland at 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning, greetings and smiles were shared by activists from all across California, even some from Oregon, as all congregated at the Frank H. Ogawa Plaza preparing for a rally and march at noon.
Indigenous Tribal Leaders were present, artists, nurses, animals, students, children and babies, elders, labor unions, even a rumored Susan Sarandon; all walks of life – many generations agreeing with the immediate need for change in fulfilling our needs for living.
The rally was a creative explosion of signs, music, art, theater, dance, costumes, and speakers sharing their stories, education, their experiences.
The march was loud and strong, stretching through the streets of downtown Oakland for everyone to hear the chants, read the signs, and feel the energy moving them toward change.
Though Governor Jerry Brown was not visibly participating in this rally for Mother Earth, one can only hope he heard and felt the importance to be a strong Climate Leader as he contemplates the necessary ban on fracking in California (as Governor Cuomo did in New York) and as he travels to the Climate Talks in Paris, representing us Californians.
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Great to see OB represented!