On September 27, people in Toronto walked out of school and work to march down to Queen’s Park in protest against climate change.
I met up with a friend a few days before and we made a poster (which was so cute if I do say so myself) but she couldn’t come and because I had a bunch of classes and a lot of commuting, I couldn’t take it with me. So, I met up with a group of students where we made posters and got hyped before walking.
I met another person who was there alone and we became “march buddies”—very wholesome and cute, I know. Once everyone had finished their posters, we gathered in a huge group and marched onward.
We passed by the Ryerson University daycare, where all the kids were outside. As we passed by, chanting, the kids pressed up at the fence and waved to us. Again, yes, it was adorable and I felt great.
It was insane. As we marched, cars stopped and honked at us in support, pedestrians stopped to watch, shop owners and workers left their stores to stare. We passed a construction site and one of the construction workers literally dropped what he was doing to cheer with us.
We reached Queen’s Park and it was packed. There were kids holding signs and cheering. People of all ages were there. There was even a guy dressed in a dinosaur costume. I mean, come on, what could be better than that?
All of this for a young girl: Greta Thunberg. A teenager started this massive movement towards climate justice. At this point, you can’t even try to disagree that climate crisis doesn’t exist. It’s here. We’re literally burning. The earth is on fire and it’s time to make a change.
I never knew how to get involved with stuff like this. I always wanted to go to protests and stand up for what I believe in but I could never figure out how.
Honestly, just look around. If you are in college or university, I guarantee you’ll find new posters every week about ways to get involved in social acts like this. Or use the browser Ecosia; it’s a web browser that uses its ad revenue to plant trees in developing countries. On the browser, there’s a blog section where you can find projects and ways to get involved. Even voting in the next election is a way to get involved.
I felt so powerful walking in this huge group of people, chanting about our demand for justice. We were all heard. We were loud. And if you demand to be listened to, you will be heard.
“Show me what democracy looks like,” we chanted.
This is what democracy looks like.