On Sept. 20th, 2019 a climate strike occurred in cities around the globe. The global event was prompted by Fridays for Future (FFF), a trend popularized by activist Greta Thunberg.

Children of all ages attended the strike. The girl pictured above attends Alta Vista, an elementary school in San Francisco, and participated in the march with the rest of her class.

Many children, if not with their classmates, attended the march with their parents. 

Students filled the streets of the city, shouting chants such as “Tell me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!”

A number of posters, like the one above, referenced the burning of the Amazon Rainforest and its detrimental effects on the environment.

Nico, a high schooler who attends Sir Francis Drake high school in San Anselmo says he was given “a bunch of unexcused absences” to attend the strike. “If you have power, use it,” he said.

Menlo senior Nils Forstall held two bananas in his hand while leading the crowd in chants throughout the protest. His most popular chant was “This climate is bananas! B – a – n – a – n – a -s!” The bananas are a “goofy metaphor” Nils said. “The brown banana is […] seeping out banana oil and banana guts […], but I am holding it because our government, who is seeing the environment slipping down the drain, isn’t holding themselves accountable for that. Even though it’s so much easier to throw away the banana or just to disregard the environment and pretend like it’s not a problem, we have to hold ourselves accountable,” Forstall said. Forstall added that the lighter, more healthy-looking banana is what he hopes the Earth can look like one day.

The strike gave some the opportunity to express their political beliefs through their posters.

Many organizations used the strike as a method of campaign. Cassandra, a woman associated with Sky Protector, an Indigenous Environmental Network, hands out buttons and flyers to protestors on the streets. 

Menlo senior Kendall Weingart holds a sign while chanting. “The strike was empowering because it showed me the potential of our generation,” Weingart said. “Being surrounded by activists that are young and care deeply about something I also care deeply about was exciting, but also inspires me to keep fighting for climate justice.”

While the strike was organized, campaigned, and targeted towards the youth, many of the marchers were older.

A high school girl holds a sign that reads “800,000,000 People Are At Risk.” Many of the participants’ posters demonstrated fear for the future of humanity.

“It was great to see so many people come out to fight for climate justice,” said Menlo senior Emma Holland, pictured above. “But we still have to see it through and make sure the strike turns into action and policy change.”