At 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 23, WCU students and faculty joined the crowd of scientists, educators, students, families and activists in front of the Washington Monument in DC for the March for Science rally.
At the beginning of the march, speeches were presented by scientists, politicians and professors about the importance of science in politics and education.
Climate change was the biggest issue discussed at the rally. Many speakers criticized the policy makers in Washington for being global warming deniers and rejecting scientific evidence proving climate change.
One of the most popular slogans showcased across fliers and signs read, “There is no PLANet B.” Protesters used this phrase to drive home the importance of addressing environmental is- sues immediately.
Women, people of color and members of the LGBT community spoke at the rally to show that, as Iranian American astronaut Anousheh Ansari stated, “The language of science knows no race, gender or religion.”
The speaker who evoked the loudest reaction out of the crowd was Bill Nye the Science Guy, the man who influenced many at the protest to pursue science in their youth.
One week later, Saturday, April 29, more West Chester University students and faculty joined the ranks of cli- mate protectors at the People’s Climate March on Washington DC.
Despite the heat, climate protectors ensured their voices were heard through chants and signs which read “Denial is NOT a Policy” and “Support the Paris Agreement.” To express solidarity, these protesters sang the popular protest song, “This Land is Your Land.”
Following the march, women, people of color, members of the LGBT community and indigenous peoples spoke and sang about the significance of climate change.
Several sister marches also occurred—specifically in Philadelphia— where natives from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe spoke out about protecting the planet.
While the president was in Harrisburg, not Washington, DC, during this march, protesters expressed their pride in bringing their movement to the nation’s capital.
Karlie DeCola is a second-year student majoring in English with a writing track and with a minor in youth empowerment and urban studies. She can be reached at KD843608@wcupa.edu.
Jamison Ludgate is a second-year student majoring in English with a minor in technical writing. He can be reached at JL858757@wcupa.edu.
Part of science is curiosity and inquiry. Many of the people ostensibly marching for “SCIENCE!!!!!” a few weeks ago display neither of those things; they merely undeservedly stand under the banner of “SCIENCE!!!!!” and accuse anyone who questions them — on anything — of being “anti-science” — even if the people doing the questioning have facts and statistics on their side.
Bill Nye is a joke, and is doing far more damage to the science world than anyone in Washington is. Calling oneself a “Science Guy” does not make it so.