ReclaimMLK: Youth Climate Strike & Resiliency Village

Oakland Youth and Frontline Communities Organize a Resilient Village in front of City Hallways

Students strike from school to learn “science for survival,” push bold climate policy, and create street murals and performances to unify against climate injustice.

WHO: Hundreds of students and frontline communities from Oakland and the larger bay area. Sponsoring groups including: Mycelium Youth Network, Poor Magazine, Oakland Climate Action Coalition, and Anti Police Terror Project.

WHEN: Friday, January 17th, 10am to 1pm

WHERE: Oscar Grant/ Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612

WHAT: Oakland middle and high school students will strike from school, along with adult allies, to create a “resilient village” that teaches the community how to advocate for climate action and build resilience to climate breadown . To educate our people, we will have four quadrants: Science for Survival, Civic Engagement, Visual Arts, and Voice and Performance. Science for survival will contain hands on projects like learning how to use car batteries as an energy source, how to purify water, and how to practice carbon sequestration in your home. In civic engagement people will learn how to engage with politicians and ways we can try to persuade them into making our world into a better place through policies like the Green New Deal. Visual arts will contain a huge street mural. Voice and Performance will contain speeches, drumming, dances, music, and more. The quadrants will educate our youth and community in a fun and friendly way to show how to live sustainably in an unjust world.

WHY: Youth want to create a community where we can recognize the importance of unity while learning about climate change. As the problems of climate change are getting worse, we are going to need to be united so we can create change. A resiliency village will help us realize we have more in common with each other than we do with the people who have created this climate crisis. We are the ones being impacted so we need to acknowledge our similarities and fight as a whole. Our community deserves to know how they will be affected by climate chaos. People of color are the people who are being most affected by climate change. They are also the ones who have not contributed to this climate chaos as much as the people in power who are predominantly, rich white men. As the ones being affected by climate change, we are also the ones left with this problem to solve, so we must unite to learn and fight.

VISUALS: Street murals, giant banners, activity booths, youth dancing, youth drumming, youth speeches.