Environmental activists gathered on the Dinand steps today, in front of the statue of Christ’s Crucified Hand. Representatives from the Chaplain’s office tried to hang one of their strike signs on the statue, but the wind blew it off; they made sure to use the statue for the remaining time as a placeholder for their plastic water bottles and cell phones. To prevent starvation, protestors were given dozens of colorful bagels to munch on as they paraded with their capes and signs.
“The world is dying and we need to do something about it,” said student Jack Parks ‘23, who told The Fenwick Review that he was protesting “deregulation on things like mercury, or waste - how people handle waste, stuff like that. Companies throwing stuff into any bodies of water that they can pollute just to get waste away from them.”
Despite the protesters’ widespread opposition to plastic items like straws, the protest’s organizers were passing out plastic Climate Strike stickers. When pressed, protestors acknowledged that it seemed a little hypocritical.
At a little past nine, the event officially started, with speeches given by the march’s leaders. The first speaker was a junior who attempted in vain to rally people up. The cheers were vaguely reminiscent of teenagers at a concert. There were calls to demand action, and to interrogate their fellow students on why they didn’t attend the rally: “...you must hold the people around you accountable.” The first speaker was the longest and was followed by other students with similar points.
Finally, Marybeth Kearns-Barrett, the head of the Chaplain’s office, addressed the crowd. She continued to use the same rhetoric as the former speakers, quoting Pope Francis and calling for action. Towards the end of her speech, she spoke about God’s graciousness and love, referring to God with the pronoun “she.” When asked to clarify that this is what she meant, she did so without hesitation. Her speech ended with a prayer.
Our warriors then proceeded to march through the streets of Worcester to City Hall to demand their voices be heard.