Photo Credit: Leon Kunstenaar

Hey Allies!!

We wanted to reach out and celebrate so many of you who helped make last Friday an amazing celebration of life and of Oakland Youth, as well as a rejection of coal, climate breakdown, and all forms of violence facing young people today.

As Lead Organizer Aniya Butler stated in Oaklandside: “We’re saying to keep coal out of Oakland, but we’re also saying no to all forms of violence, because we recognize that Oakland is affected with police violence, gun violence, environmental violence, housing violence, migrant violence, and so many different forms of violence that the climate crisis is exacerbating.”

Fridays action included:

• Over one thousand young people taking the streets of Oakland

• Dozens of school-based contingents led by YVA school clubs

• Youth drummers from Manzanita SEED!

• A street mural by Warriors for Justice and Urban Promise Academy

• Activities from Dance Workshops to Science for Survival demos led by groups including Oakland Tech Environmental Studies, Mycelium Youth Network, and many more

• Performances by Hip Hop for Change, Youthspeaks, and more!

• Marshals and Support from 350 Bay Area and others!

• Six Hundred + (!!!!) handmade lunches coordinated by a Redwood High School, Susan Quinlan, and 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations

• and much more!

 Here is a sample of the great media coverage of this event:

Students march in Oakland against climate injustice - The Oaklandside
 

Photos: Youth vs. Apocalypse Climate Strike at Oakland City Hall - The Mercury News

Students march in Oakland to protest climate change, coal - CBS San Francisco

Do you know other youth that would want to get involved in YVA? Please ask them to sign up at bit.ly/JOINYVA

or attend or next general meet Oct 1st at MetWest High School, 314 E. 10th St., Oakland