by Freeda Cathcart
Hundreds of people traveled from at least five states to attend a Tri-State Climate Emergency Pipeline Strike at the Wells Fargo plaza in downtown Roanoke.
The rally started with music by the Sung Sing collective as a dramatic art installation was rolled out with stilt walkers looking like their hair was on fire.
The purpose of the art display was to portray the climate impacts of the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast Pipelines would cause upon completion would add the equivalent of 46 coal-fired plants further heating up our planet. Blue flags suspended on rope-represented waters in all three states represented to the severe and widespread harm to waterways.
Delegate Chris Hurst called on Virginians to urge their legislators to send a letter to the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FREC) urging them to issue a “stop” work order on the entire pipeline. Irene Leech made an impassioned plea to the crowd to divest from banks and financial institutions funding the pipelines.
“The impacts of fossil fuels and the impacts of the climate crisis are two sides of the same coin of injustice said Andrea Miller, with the Poor People’s campaign.
For decades, certain communities, because of racial discrimination and economic and political exclusion, have been encroached upon by the fossil fuel industry and bombarded by toxic pollution. Now, climate change, a direct consequence of the fossil fuel industry, is poised to hit these same communities first and worst.
This is the great cruelty of the climate crisis and if we are serious about addressing the issue, we must fully understand the need to commit to a call not just for climate action, but for climate justice.”
Diane Elliot and Mara Robbins encouraged the crowd to take information with next steps they could take to divest from banks and financial institutions that continue funding projects that hurt our communities and planet. People can to powhr.org/divestmvp/ to learn which banks are funding the MVP.
Youth from Community High School read a letter of appeal to Wells Fargo to divest from fossil fuel projects like the pipelines so they can have a future.
Freeda Cathcart delivered the letter to the Wells Fargo branch while the crowd walked past the window waving their water flags on their way to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
Charles Brown with Black Voters Matter spoke about how people can use the power of their votes to elect representatives who will create laws to protect their interests instead of the fossil fuel industry. He also reminded them to register and VOTE on November 5.
