just enough for the city: People's Climate March Sunday with West-Park: ...We need everyone

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

People's Climate March Sunday with West-Park: ...We need everyone

9/21

Roosevelt Credit...Siyahamba...We are marching

Climate march day. Stephen’s there early to get everything ready. We’ll have water, juice, coffee, donuts. At 86^th and Amsterdam, we’re at the nexus of the bus drop off route. There’s a steady stream coming, bringing marchers from across the country. A group of college students from Wesleyan has gathered on the steps.

new friends from Wesleyan

We share our coffee and donuts with them. In pairs and trios other visitors keep stopping by. The buses keep arriving.

We start our service an hour earlier than usual so we can all get to the interfaith service at the Faith group gathering site at 58^th street. We’re joined by friends and guests…my old neighbor Ric who’s performed here several times, my old friend John from Tulsa, who did preservation research for us years ago, others will come and join as well.

The men are ready to march

I start our time together by singing the Times they are a Changin I did Friday night and then Woody’s This Land is Your Land… We read from Psalm 124:… the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof…and I read the story of the manna in Exodus 16: 2-15. How we are provided with what we need, with enough. And the part of the story I really like, if you try to hoard, it goes bad on you. We all have enough. There is no need to hoard or to ravenously consume. I share Al Gore’s line about ussies instead of selfies. And I ask each person what has brought them here this day. There is a deep concern about the future. And Deacon James reminds us that these climate changes impact the poor and vulnerable communities first and worst, from Katrina to Sandy. We had sung the traditional Morning has broken and For the beauty of the earth…and finish with a good marching song, Siyahamba…

at Columbus Circle

It’s time to head to Columbus Circle. We’ll take the subway, Ric bikes down. Buses still arriving. A beautiful sunny day. Hard not to remember the anti-nuclear march of 1982.

On 58^th Street, the faith contingent is already large. There’s the ark created by Auburn Seminary. There’s an imam and a rabbi with a shofar and Native American shamans and a self-proclaimed atheist. The point being: we’re all in the same boat now…and also we are all Noah…nearby us an inflatable mosque.

The ark

Signs for the different faith groups are raised down the street to bring folks together.

There are speakers. And contemporary Jewish music. And Sikh music. And more speakers. And of course my friend TK, our go to Buddhist. There are as Center Board member Ted says, Forgive me, too damn many clergy…

Ted and Asya from the Center Board

but you can’t leave anyone out..Peter Yarrow arrives with his daughter and granddaughter (and world famous cellist Michael Fitzpatrick) and leads us in Where have all the flowers gone?

Where have all the flowers gone?

And reminds us of the power of singing along. We needed more of that. The wait goes on for hours. Seeing many friends from different traditions in our waiting area.

Rabbi Michael Feinberg of Labor/Religion Coalition and Rev. Chloe Breyer of the Interfaith Center of New York City

Finally we’re led by Roosevelt Credit in the most rocking version of Siyahamba ever…with parts of Peace like a River and other songs thrown in as well…we’re ready to roll… all 10000 of us faith marchers…

Notes from the march:

* Amazed by the level of planning and organization that went into this

* Part of the experience is the watching out for each other and staying connected in a crowd…made our group feel closer

*Always enjoy the crowds along the side, their signs, their applause

* Some look like they’ve wandered in from other marches, like gay pride or occupy…or look like maybe they’re just always there…permanent presence that appears when the next march comes down the street

*Somewhere near 42^nd Street, the entire march grinds to a halt..the streets are completely full …every inch occupied..somewhere between 350 and 400000 of us…

* Moving to see many reunions of occupiers along the route, embraces and long hugs…for some it’s been years since they saw each other…last week was the third anniversary od the beginning of Zucotti…that spirit still flows like an underground stream…still there..

* The influence of the Occupy experience clear in this march, like the various organized blocs

* Amazing to walk down the middle of 42^nd Street through Times Square