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Stella Tarrant, a 14-year-old UU from Birmingham, Alabama, organized her city’s climate strike when she realized no one else had done so. Speaking to the gathered crowd, Tarrant said, “I would rather be in school right now. . . . I would rather be sitting at a desk doing math, because that would mean the adults were taking care of our planet and we wouldn’t have to.” (Alabama, September 20)
Levi Draheim, a 12-year-old UU from Satellite Beach, Florida, who is one of twenty-one youth suing the federal government for its inaction on climate change, participated in several events with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Draheim said, “It’s terrifying, not knowing whether I'm going to have a home or a future on this barrier island that I live on.” (Florida Today, September 20)
Draheim also appeared in a segment of “All In with Chris Hayes.” (MSNBC, September 20)
UU Daniel Leuchtenberger of Concord, New Hampshire, helped organize a student walkout to protest a lack of action on climate change. In a letter to classmates, Leuchtenberger wrote: “Why walk? It’s for our future. It’s to send a clear message that we, the youth, will not stand for climate change. . . . That we, the youth, demand action from those in power. By joining this walkout we will be part of the largest protest event in history, happening in 150 countries, with about 5,000 events worldwide and 1,000 events all over the U.S.” (Concord Monitor, September 20)