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South Bronx Unite Marches for Clean Air

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By Minyoung Son

Early on the morning of September 21st, a large crowd of Bronxites dressed in matching dark green T’s assembled at La Finca del Sur Community Garden on East 138th Street.

The group was part of a Bronx contingent of the People’s Climate March and they began the day with some centering exercises. “We will take a stand to bend the course of history!” said Mychal Johnson, a co-founder of the South Bronx Unite. “We will take to the streets to demand the world that it is within our reach!”

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South Bronx Unite, a coalition of Bronx grass roots organizations, had a particular goal in mind for the march — to protest air pollution in the borough. More specifically, the group denounced online grocer Fresh Direct, which is planning to move its headquarters from the Long Island City to the South Bronx waterfront, where one in five children is suffering from asthma. “The South Bronx community has been a dumping ground for decades,” one of the critics said. “Warehouses are built instead of green space. Their delivery diesel-fueled trucks will worsen the air pollution of the region.”

Virginia Ayress, 56, creator of the marchers’ green T-shirts explained her design. “Monsanto has created the transgenic seeds. I wanted to show corn, a typical produce of the indigenous people and Latin America. The water: there is not enough water. On top of that, the little water we have is getting polluted because of garbage.”

People's Climate March

While waiting for the 1 train at the 149th Street station, the group’s enthusiastic chanting caught the attention of all those nearby. “What do you want?” “Justice!” “When do you want it?” “Now!”

When they arrived at the starting point near Columbus Circle, there was a gigantic faux Fresh Direct truck with a giant canvas reading, “Fresh Direct aims to build on a Native American burial ground in a South Bronx waterfront flood zone.”

There the group joined in with 1574 organizations and an estimated 400,000 march participants. Passing Columbus Circle, they marched from 58th Street to 42nd Streets, along the Avenue of the Americas. The South Bronx Unite activists, armed with gigantic asthma inhalers, chanted along the route “South Bronx demands respect, boycott Fresh Direct!”

People's Climate March

The climax of the march came at 12:59 p.m., when the crowd raised its hands overhead for a moment of silence in commemoration of all the victims of climate change. Then an alarm went off sharply at 1:00 p.m., to “promote change and action.”

The march concluded on the far west side at 34th Street and 11th Avenue, where participants pledged to continue to take action on climate change by writing down messages of hope on ribbons.

People's Climate March

“We need to make sure to stick together, continue our fight in the struggles for the environmental justice in South Bronx and for climate justice all around the world,” said Mychal Johnson, who is one of four non-diplomatic delegates to represent the U.S. at the United Nations climate summit.

The diversity of the climate march participants illustrated that environmental issues can unite people regardless of age, race, nationality or background.

Bronx marchers said they believe the stakes are high. “We are marching for life,” said Omar Freilla, a coordinator of Green Worker cooperative. “I’m here with my daughter, friends and family because we want to live. We have a right to grow up in the place without worrying about the quality of air.”

People's Climate March

 

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