Fridays For Future (FFF) is a youth run climate activism organization born out of Greta Thunberg’s famous school striking demonstrations. Every March and September FFF holds global climate marches to bring more attention to their movement. On Friday March 3rd FFF held a global strike, with the goal of advocating for the end of fossil fuel financing by major banking corporations. In New York City (NYC), the protest began in Foley Square in lower Manhattan. FFF organizers then led the group of youth demonstrators over the Brooklyn Bridge, and the strike ended in Brooklyn Borough Hall.
The Center for Sustainable Futures (CSF) works closely with many of the youth running the NYC chapter of FFF. CSF helps facilitate the Youth At The Center Program (YATC), where graduate student researchers work with youth climate activists throughout NYC on a climate storytelling project. Many of the YATC participants organize with FFF NYC, and planned this past strike. CSF researchers attended the protest to not only support our youth leading this effort and use our own voices to call for urgent climate action, but also conduct research. We work to capture a snapshot at these FFF demonstrations of the understandings and feelings students’ have towards climate change. These learnings enrich our perceptions of the youth climate movement as researchers, educators, and adult allies.
While March 3rd brought cold temperatures, especially marching over the Brooklyn Bridge, the strike brought students together from all corners of the New York State area. We heard stories of students that were attending the protest as part of a trip organized by their schools, while other students staged walk-outs at their schools and were being penalized for attending. The differences in the stories we hear from youth show the vast variation of experiences in youth climate activism, and the privileges of having adult allies in systems that should support this action.
Regardless of where the youth came from, what age they were, or if they had school permission to attend, a unifying, resounding message could be heard from every corner of Foley Square on March 3rd: No Justice, No Peace.