Hundreds of students at Patrick Henry High School in Del Cerro held what they called a Global Climate Strike Friday. It was their way of protesting the continuing deterioration of the environment across the world and in their own backyard.
This was one of many rallies held across the county. San Diego Unified School Board members encouraged the event by passing a resolution earlier this month protecting the students right to protest.
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Abbie Darling is the student Environmental Commissioner at Patrick Henry High. She organized the event with a specific intention.
"Our leaders have made it clear that they’re not going to step up for our future. So we’re going to step up for our own futures,” she said.
At noon, students walked out of class and to the school’s amphitheater, carrying signs and shouting slogans. Several members of the Associated Student Body organization, known as ASB, delivered speeches in support of radical reform to save the planet.
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The event was endorsed by the school's administration. Even principal Michelle Irwin joined in the rally. Speaking from the stage, she told the crowd, “You know what? We, the adults, screwed it up. Now we are looking at you. You are our future.”
Winnie Miller is a junior at Patrick Henry. She said, “ The burning of fossil fuels, stuff like the Industrial Revolution kick started the degradation of our planet. As much as it sucks, it is up to us to fix it. We are the ones who will be left over.”
Student protestor Rosa Brooks-Kamper was a little more encouraged about the future and said, “I hope we can be at zero waste. I hope pollution has gone. I hope that we can have a Green New Deal. As I see it, it’s going to be hard to get there.”
