Photo by Rose Cohen ’22
South Hadley Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion hold a climate justice rally on the green in front of Chapin Auditorium on Sunday, Nov. 17 preceding Rachel Maddow’s highly anticipated book discussion.
BY LIZ LEWIS ’22
Students and members of the surrounding community gathered with signs and songs on Sunday afternoon to raise awareness about the climate crisis. The group of about 15 stood on the green across from Chapin Auditorium holding signs which encouraged climate activism, shamed oil companies and promoted campus divestment. The signs included a massive banner, which read, “GREEN NEW DEAL.”
The demonstration, led by Mount Holyoke students in the South Hadley chapter of the Sunrise Movement, was strategically timed for high exposure. It began at 3 p.m., an hour before Rachel Maddow’s talk on campus, which ensured an audience of dozens in the form of the line to get into Chapin.
The line, which included both students and community members, stretched far beyond the length of Mary Woolley Hall, inching along throughout the hour of demonstrating.
The Sunrise Movement was joined by the Western Massachusetts chapter of the Extinction Rebellion (XR), another grassroots organization dedicated to fighting climate change. According to the Western Massachusetts Extinction Rebellion website, XR is “a strictly nonviolent movement, whose overall ambition is an international rebellion that helps humanity to turn quickly onto a course that is compatible with life on earth, and to build resilient communities in the face of ecological and societal crisis.”
Like the Sunrise Movement, XR operates under a decentralized, chapter-based structure. Individuals have started XR chapters all over the globe, but the movement has its original roots in London, where the first XR demonstration took place in 2018.
Around 3:30 p.m., five women draped in red from head to toe appeared over the horizon, slowly and deliberately making their way up the gentle hill near Chapin, to where the protestors stood. Judging by the reactions of the Sunrise members — whispers, gasps and hushed exclamations of “They’re here!” — their appearance was the highlight of the demonstration.
The women in red were representatives from the Red Brigade, a subset of XR dedicated to attacking the climate crisis through silent, political performance art.
The Brigade moved in a line, each one mimicking the movements of the leading woman in a slow, melancholy follow-the-leader. They moved at a snail’s pace across the green, rotating with focus between several poses — including holding their arms in an “x” shape across their chests, outstretching their hands with palms facing the sky and a single raised fist. Two men silently accompanied them, holding flags bearing the XR symbol.
Though their entrance was not announced, they quickly captivated the onlookers’ attention. As they approached, more and more eyes turned to the Red Brigade and their mournful march. Their faces were painted chalk white and their lips the same red as their layers of clothing. Behind the facepaint, their expressions were somber.
According to Sullivan, they represented “the silent witnesses to the earth’s demise.” The Brigade circled the green and eventually made their way back down the hill, disappearing from view.
The demonstration was an emotional moment for many. One member of XR, a woman named Rema, expressed sorrow that such a movement is even necessary.
“If I were to write a book about climate change,” she said, “I’d start it by saying, ‘Please, my young friends, forgive us. We acted with ignorance and greed.’”
Rema has nine great-grandchildren and one on the way. “You young ones are the hope,” she said. “People just have to hurry.”
She tapped the ground with her foot, indicating the earth. “Maybe she’ll be a little more patient with us than she’s been lately.”
The struggle towards divestment at Mount Holyoke has been a long one. According to Karla Esquivel ’22, two alumnae who were in line to see Rachel Maddow commented that asking for divestment is almost a Mount Holyoke tradition at this point — they had done the same 30 years ago.
“That’s not exactly encouraging,” Esquivel said.
Even so, Sunrise members were thrilled to receive verbal support not only from XR and Mount Holyoke alumnae, but from Rachel Maddow herself, when she gave a small shoutout to the demonstrators during her talk.
“Those activists you saw outside this venue … they’re going to win,” Maddow said. “They’re ahead of us and the rest of our country will get there … [but] the people who lead us are gonna be the people who were right about this from the beginning.”