Photo by Ryan Collerd
Talk About a Revolution
In early May, approximately 300 people gathered near the intersection of 28th Street and Passyunk Avenue. Some were Philadelphia locals, but many traveled from around the state, arriving via yellow school buses commissioned by Action United, a 6-year-old advocacy group focused on the interests of Pennsylvanians with low incomes. The crowd, amid giant paper sunflowers, ate water ice and soft pretzels purchased from a cart, watched a Germantown-based drill team perform, and—in the shadow of a CSX oil train stopped on the elevated tracks next to the Schuylkill Expressway—called for a reversal of plans to expand the South Philly oil refinery.
If you missed the Philly Thrive March but are ready to take action, join in these two upcoming events during the Democratic National Convention.
March for Clean Energy
The March for a Clean Energy Revolution, which has been endorsed by hundreds of organizations including various chapters of 350.org, the Green Party and the Sierra Club, will meet at City Hall at noon July 24—the eve of the Democratic National Convention—and gradually move toward Independence Hall while rallying for a 100 percent renewable energy future.
The official website for the march advocates for policy makers to invest in renewable energy systems such as wind and solar to create living wage jobs, avoiding the hazards of hydraulic fracturing and ending the disproportionate burdens placed on marginalized communities who live in, or near, high-pollution areas. Anyone can join the march. Find out more at cleanenergymarch.org.
Truth Booth
An inflatable video-recording booth shaped like a cartoon speech bubble will come to Philadelphia’s Eakins Oval during the DNC. Visitors are encouraged to record two-minute videos that begin with the words “The truth is…”
The interactive media project was organized by the San Francisco-based Cause Collective—a team of artists, designers and ethnographers who create public art. During the life of the project, they have collected over 6,000 statements with the booth, which has traveled through Ireland, Afghanistan, South Africa and various locations in the U.S. If you’d like to be part of the project, you can make your own statement between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. on July 26 while the convention is taking place.
