University of Colorado Boulder’s Norlin Quad was littered with students on Tuesday, sporting bright orange shirts labeled, “People Power.” Members of Boulder’s Fossil Free CU set up tents in preparation for their three-day occupation of the quad. The banners in the area were painted with bright orange letters and images of earth. One reads, “Divest for our future,” another, “Time to evolve beyond fossil fuels.”
A group of more than twenty students huddled into a circle and began throwing around words of encouragement and goals. The students eventually broke away from the circle with a triumphant rally cry. The orange shirts scattered around the area, seeking students sunbathing on Norlin Quad to listen to their cause. It’s simple — get CU to divest from fossil fuels.
Students gathered around a gigantic parachute as Katie Raitz, one of Fossil Free CU’s organizers, began addressing the goals of their community. The group has been focused on the cause for many years, but just received its first bit of recognition for their February protest that took place in the University Memorial Center.
“We’re going to be teaching and talking about climate justice and why it’s important and how it fits in with our overall vision of a world that is socially just,” Raitz said.
Fossil Free CU is a community that promotes social justice as much as they do environmental justice. It advocates helping marginalized communities that are negatively impacted by fossil fuel industries. It is for this reason that they are currently focused on divesting from such companies, who impact both the world and the people living in it.
The cause made an ally of Linda Shoemaker, one of CU Boulder’s regents, who offered praise and encouragement for the students that had gathered on the Quad today. She is one of many speakers that the cause hopes to highlight during its sit-in.
The sit-in is a national undertaking that is part of a larger movement to get universities all over the U.S. to divest from fossil fuels. Larger schools like Stanford have already been progressing toward this goal. CU’s own fossil-free group is aiming to do the same through localizing national endeavors.
The three-day sit-in is the DivestFest Bold Action Event celebrated by many schools around the country, and it is the latest event planned by Fossil Free communities.
Raitz said that the intended targets of the sit-in are the University’s Regents, who hold the most power in regard to divestment issues.
Many guest speakers are invited to talk at the cause’s opening, including Micah Parkin, Colorado regional organizer for 350.org, a group advocating global climate movements in over 188 countries.
Parkin opens up the discussion by quoting the words of Bill McKibben, president and co-founder of 350.org.
“If it’s wrong to destroy the planet, it’s wrong to profit from that destruction,” Parkin said.
She also said that fossil fuels are both no longer moral and no longer profitable, given their unsustainable supply and the recent push toward eco-friendly technologies.
Marty Walter, a CU mathematics teacher and eager supporter of the group’s goals, offered words of encouragement to members and onlookers.
“We’re here because you folks are right. We’re on the right side of science. We’re on the right side of history. We’re on the right side of survival,” Walter says.
The encouraging speeches continued until the floor was given to a representative from 350.org, who had participants repeat the lyrics of a song meant to be sung during their rally.
After the opening speeches, members and onlookers reached for the hem of the parachute, which is decorated with Fossil Free CU’s bright orange label. Participants in the rally sang the song as they carried the large parachute through the quad and further into the campus. The song soon changed into a spirited chant about divestment.
This rally was only the first of many events planned for the three-day sit-in. Organizers said that the events would continue up until late April 16. An assortment of other events, outside of speeches, have been planned, including slam poetry, music, songs and art presentations.
The events are all planned to take place on Norlin Quad area for the remainder of the sit-in’s duration. Listings for future events can be found on the Fossil Free CU Facebook page.
Contact CUI copy editor Chelsea Abdullah at chelsea.abdulla@colorado.edu
