On the march! Sunrise trekkers hike Petaluma June 12

A brigade of Sunrise Movement youth, 18-35, will march through Petaluma Saturday, June 12, enroute to bring their call for action to the homes of Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein in San Francisco where they will paint street murals and chant. Right now they want a Civilian Climate Corps, creating multi-green jobs and a step toward the Green New Deal which is their goal longterm. Good Jobs For All; We Deserve A Liveable Future; you may have seen some signs?

The crew started a 266 mile trek in Paradise, CA, to highlight the urgent need for action on climate crisis, linked inexorably with justice – Climate Justice. A similar trek is occurring simultaneously on the East coast.

Though many in our area are not aware of the Sunrise Movement, many, including the guy we call Uncle Noam (Chomsky) says these young activists have a significant role to play in saving our planet from disaster by calling for necessary changes in our culture, no more fossil fuels, good jobs for all, the Green New Deal brought to Congress by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.

In Sonoma County we have a very active Santa Rosa Chapter with support from allied groups and people like me. In D.C., where it’s headquarters are, Sunrise called on candidate Joe Biden to back the Green New Deal, offering millions of young votes for his support. Many of his climate actions echo their sentiments.

Here, the Sunrise trek will overnight at Sonoma Mountain Village June 11 and our Oasis Community Farm (I’m a co-owner with Wayne Morgenthaler, and a food prep person for this) will donate a vegan Farm to Table supper featuring organic vegetables from our Mutual Aid garden, which offers crates and bags to people mostly in Santa Rosa, and at times reaches out to a Sausalito homeless encampment, people living on Joe Rodota Trail, and a tribe or two in Mendocino.

The Sunrisers will trek through our neck of the woods June 12, stopping at Marin Civic Center June 13 for a GreenNovato vegan lunch, then on towards Golden Gate Bridge June 14, where we expect a large rally just before they cross. Go For It Sunrisers! We’ll cheer you on and feed a plant-based dinner here for at least 50. Yippee! The opportunity is succulent.

They’re making a bold statement, treking those 266 miles from fire-destroyed Paradise, CA, first to our state capital, Sacramento, then onward to San Francisco. Message? Create the Civilian Climate Corps Joe Biden is calling for, and make the Green New Deal happen, Good Jobs for All, and all the rest that the Green New Deal deals out. Climate Justice never left out.

We know, if we pay any attention, the problems highlighted by climate change (feedback loops like the melting ice caps, inequity, urgent need to end use of fossil fuels, rebuild communities into sharing, peaceful places where a bicycle or electric scooter feels safe to ride, a long list!)

Well, the challenges are immense, but the energy of the Sunrisers is also immense! And “We need absolutely everybody,” says Sunrise ED, Varshini Prakash, in D.C.

Sunrise is calling on us to move toward a healthy economy with way less pollution, way more equity. Compared to FDR’s New Deal, this goes further. We have to change the way we live! Forever. Good jobs for all is a start, followed by getting rid of your fossil fuel car, creating real public transit, infill housing in cities, reforestation, cut back on water use WHILE growing more food? Challenges abound!

Here’s a press update from Sunrise adult allies at Arm In Arm:

TREK SUPPORT UPDATES

(WE) met the trekkers on Saturday between Sacramento and Davis, and served them lunch. They seemed healthy and in good spirits!

Publicity and Press (compiled by Alexa Forrester, Arm In Arm)

Thanks to Pete, Kelsey, and Ty, who have been monitoring the press emails from the statewide trek team and helping out where necessary. I believe the Press Democrat will be covering the event. I also sent out an email to the SRJC faculty and the SoCoCAN community, and have received word back from quite a few folks planning to attend. The march has gotten lots of good press, and the rally should be well-attended. Here are the links to various instances of news coverage of the march I know of so far, and links to the rally and other upcoming public events along the route:

May 27th: Indie blogger Broke-Ass Stuart

May 28th: KQED

June 1: The Bohemian

June 1: The Hill (about the broader campaign)

June 3: Teen Vogue (op-ed by one of the marchers on the gulf coast sister march)

June 11: Santa Rosa Rally action network page

June 13: Join the trekkers at the Marin Civic center

June 14: March across the GG bridge event page

Twitter updates (can be accessed even if you don’t have twitter).

(and I add:)

KTVU Oakland https://www.ktvu.com/news/california-activists-walking-hundreds-of-miles-for-climate-change

KRCB Radio June 11 https://krcb.org/2021061163246/news-feed/sonoma-county-teens-go-the-distance-for-climate-change4