Williams Students at the People's Climate March

On Sunday, September 21, 78 Williams students and three professors woke up at 5 a.m., loaded into vans, drove to a station in Westchester, and took a train into New York City. We joined thousands of other people from all around the world who descended on the city for the People’s Climate March. World leaders met at the UN the following Monday in a special summit on the climate change crisis, and this march was organized to show them that people everywhere demand a just climate future.

When we arrived in the city, we walked through crowds of people to Central Park Ave. W, where the marchers were lining up. We joined in with a huge section of the march comprised of student groups. We were 10 blocks behind the start of the march, and we were only in the second of six sections! Even though those in the front started walking at 11:30, there were so many people that the end of the line-up didn’t move until 3 p.m.! Once we started moving, we walked about two miles south, through Times Square and towards the UN building. We sang, chanted, waved our signs, and intermingled with other marchers. It was an unforgettable experience to be with such a huge number of people that, even though they are widely diverse in every way, are united in the same purpose. I doubt it is an experience any of us will forget.

The final tally was over 400,000 attendees, including 50,000 students, many indigenous groups, labor unions, front-line communities, churches, scientists, world leaders, grandmas, and everyone in between. It truly was a People’s climate march.

It was great to have so many Williams students attend the march, and it’s is safe to say that we all feel very empowered to work hard and continue to make change here at Williams. Here’s to a great year of environmental activism!

By Alice Stears ’15