that they oppress, if that's the way you see the world, then you're a communist. >> secretary of state rex tillerson at the human security briefing on north korea. >> we must all do our share the china accounting for 40% of north korean trade has economic leverage that is unique, that its role is therefore particularly important. >> c-span programs are available at www.c-span.org, on our homepage and by searching the video library. >> several people gathered on the national mall yesterday for a rally to raise awareness on climate change. the event was organized by a coalition of groups known as the people's climate movement. it's just under two hours. ♪

>> how is everyone doing today? [applause] people's climate march 2017, you are beautiful. >> what's up, everyone? i'm an organizer with the indigenous environmental network, and i'm so happy to be here today. >> yes, awesome. hello, everybody. how you doing? welcome to d.c.! i am an environmental justice advocate. i work closely with an organization called empower d.c.

, fighting displacement and working with community members around public housing, environmental justice. i see you all in the building. leadership form of forume change -- form -- on climate change and shout out to over 300 students that came from historically black colleges and universities. >> yes, yes. >> yes. inlong as i have been living d.c. -- i have been here for 14 years -- i am still a girl from colorado, so shout out to denver. there you go. like that's what's up. -- >> that's what's up. i need your help with this 1 -- what do we do when our land is under attack? than that.etter >> stand up, fight back. >> what do we do when our water

is under attack? >> stand up, fight back. >> what do we do when our air is under attack? >> stand up, fight back. >> what do we do with our communities are under attack? >> stand up, fight back. >> stand up, fight back. >> stand up, fight back. >> stand up, fight back. >> make some noise. >> yeah! >> that is what it is about. we are here to demonstrate our collective energy as people for the protection of not just just this moment, but for all generations and all life on this planet and its and every one of us are demonstrating that power today. give yourselves a round of applause. >> you could do better for yourselves. come on, stand up. >> to start us off, i wanted to pay recognition, have my

here.ves come on stage come on up. we're going to start off our program. i guess i will ask the question -- who has ever heard of standing rock? make some noise. this year has been a pivotal year with a fight for climate justice. numerous communities across this country for generations have been struggling for the self determination and ability to protect their water, their land, their bodies. this year, we saw a prime example of that on the cannonball river in north dakota -- in so-called north dakota. camp out and supported -- make a round of applause if to standing rock. make some noise if you supported

in some way the fight against dakota access pipeline. well, who we have on stage right now are some of the water protectors, the first water protectors who set up that camp. most people don't know, but that was established april 1, 2016 of last year. to go down and ask them to say their name's so you know who they are, and we're going to are our relatives who standing rock citizens give them an honoring song. i want to ask us all to get our .ollective energy also our water protectors across the world putting their lives on the line.

>> my name is montgomery brown. i'm from standing rock sioux reservation. >> i would like to thank all of you for standing up with us as standing rock. thank you for hearing the call and continuing to be here today. now let's shut it down. >> hello, everyone. my name is chris watson. i'm from here in washington, d.c. i've been living in denning rock

for five years, and i really appreciate all this love. this is awesome, man. thank you. >> my name is william. i'm from rock creek, south dakota. i would like to thank all you guys for supporting us. it really means a lot. >> hello, all my friends and relatives. i'm from the standing rock sioux reservation.

this is the biggest family that all of us are ever blessed with. >> i'm from the cannonball river of standing rock sioux tribe. >> my name is joy braun, and if it wasn't or this woman and all these people here standing here, i would not have gone up there. me and my cousin -- we were the first ones out there camping on april 1, 2015. there was snow on the ground. the call came from the spirit for each and every one of you to stand up where you live and grow more water protectors, so i

humbly thank you for your support. >> i resign on white earth nation with my sister. they pulled out online three, so out there and get protect our lands. >> [speaking native language] i'm from standing rock. >> [speaking native language] i thank you all for supporting us. thank you for hugging a tree and loving a river.

you feel all alone sometimes, but then when you see a crowd like this gathered, you know that eventually, maybe that guy that lives in that house is going to listen. if not, we are going to have to make him listen. >> where going to ask for this moment -- we are going to do an honoring song for our water protectors who put their lives on the line, who were arrested, who sacrificed countless hours ,nd days and weeks and months so our relatives are going to sing a song for us. ♪

make some noise for our water protectors! [applause] ♪

>> how about that? how about that, relatives?

last shout outa to our youth runners who ran all the way from standing rock sioux tort this movement washington, to hear, to the white house -- two start this to start this movement. make some noise! >> i'm from saskatchewan, canada, and i grew up in

manitoba, but i'm living in iowa .or 10 years we continue to fight back. i'm here today to talk to you about the circle of resistance and the reason why i'm on this stage. i'm a p a because it's time to negating the past and not worrying about our future. it's time to start telling a better truth, you know? don't you think? up. time to wake !ake up, donald trump if you don't wake up, we will .ake you up all of you are here because you can feel it, right? you can feel the change in the

weather, see the change in the landscape. you can see the violent storms, the chemicals in our water. you can feel them. you are drinking them. but i wanted to let you know that we have a solution for this problem, and one of these solutions is to decolonize our minds. these arrows in this wagon are arrows of decolonization sovereignty for indigenous people. we need to support the indigenous cause.

reparations. language. community. education. to feminize -- we need to bring the feminist back. colonization destroyed femininity, and we have to bring that back. we need to be together, all of us. we need to work together as a people.s of the human race. absolutely. thank you very much. i appreciate being a peer. -- being up here. whoo@ == whoo! hello, everybody! i know it's hot. i know we've just got done

marching. i'm visiting you from north dakota. to those of you that came to , sorry, on behalf of myself, for the way some of you were treated by the police .orces there there are about 200,000 people marching in the street today. [applause] whoo! guys. to say i love you i love you way back there. i see you by the poor parties. .- porta potty's we love you. here, we have become

the new majority. you will not put us down anymore. everybody, keep hydrated. water is life. water is life. water is life. life.is water is life. make some noise. >> digital smoke signals, doing

the drones out there as standing rock. i want to thank you all or your solidarity. give you guys a bagel shout out. water protectors, thank you very much for all your help, your prayers. right now, contact borden county. we have 800-plus water protectors still going through the process. >> thank you. thank you. let's give it up, everybody. yes. especially thank you to candy. that's my forever friend. we was pregnant together. the women in here.

the it takes root delegation coming from all over the world. grass-roots global justice and the climate justice alliance was for theyears ago signing of an creation of the environmental justice pencils. -- principles. if you do not know those principles, you do not know environmental justice. if you have your smart, google principles of environmental justice. give it up for our next speaker. representing the youth in brooklyn.

they are representing that it takes root delegation. go ahead. .'ma let you have the mike >> hello, everybody. how you feeling today? i'm 16 years old, and i'm a youth organizer. i'm so inspired to be in front of all you beautiful people today and honored to be fighting alongside you tomorrow. i'm proud to be here representing my beloved brooklyn. my black community, my youth female community, and my frontline community, all in solidarity to the frontline communities across the world and globally. as a young, black, caribbean teen, i'm well aware that my life is in jeopardy because of climate change.

climate change is a racial justice issue. climate change effects people of color first and worst. we contribute the least to climate change but experience the brunt of the crisis. we will be the ones experiencing the worst effect of today's actions. too many neighborhoods and communities of color in new york are exposed to pollution and suffer health consequences because of it. andxperience power outages are the most vulnerable to extreme weather, which is becoming more and more common. climate change is one of the ofgest issues to communities color. it causes displacement of homes, local homes, businesses, and our land in general. stopower is necessary to climate change and filled a transition-- a just

to a system that values our lives. i'm committed to the climate justice movement because climate change continues to affect my family and me in the worst way possible. as extreme weather becomes more frequent and harsh, it continues to destroy the homes i'm not just talking about brooklyn, i'm talking about the larger community in which i belong to. i -- i'm sorry. i identify with the african diaspora. think about hurricane katrina. my mother comes from grenada. longaribbean community has suffered disasters from climate. most recently, hurricane matthew. it devastated the islands in the caribbean. i fight for climate justice for

my newborn baby cousin, kelsey, so she can grow up in a world where her life is not in jeopardy due to the mistakes of the people who lived before her. i fight for climate justice, i fight for myself, i fight for my people, and i fight for our future. [applause] >> hello everybody. my name is pam kalley and from the streets of san francisco chinatown to hear in washington, d.c., i am hyped. i have been told in the 26 years since i came here to help build the environmental justice movement, i have become an elder. woohoo! so as an elder, i want to share something with you and send you off with some marching orders. are you all right with that?

i want to get a little serious here. you know our march on april 4, 1967, dr. martin luther king, he dared to speak truth to power and for those words, dr. king paid the ultimate sacrifice. you know that, right? he dared to expose what he called the giant triplets. do you know what those are? racism, capitalism, militarism. am i right? these giant triplets are what drew folks like me and bob bollard, and tom, and richard moore, and connie tucker, and dana austin, to washington dc in 1991 to the first national people of color environmental

leadership summit. there were 600 of us. we met to build a national and international movement that will fight for environmental justice. that day, we crafted the 17 principles of environmental justice. which would guide the frontline communities to one, to confront environmental racism. [applause] fight the destructive nature of capitalism. [applause] oppose militarism. [applause] and we were there to uplift the u.n. universal declaration of human rights. there we also affirmed sovereignty and self-determination.

in the words of grace lee bob, these principles lay the foundation for a new constitution. did you hear me? a new constitution. [applause] >> today, it is trump's 100th day. [booing] >> we are living under the giant triplets' agenda on steroids. an agenda that is spanned by fear and hate, but you know and i know that where there is oppression, there is, there is, there is -- for me, i am witnessing resistance, but it is a resistance today of vision led

by frontline solutionaries. are you going to be a solutionary? say it. i will be a solutionary. dr. king speaks with -- beyond vietnam. because we are here because you believe that we the people can take back control. [applause] >> we can move beyond trump. we are in a moment of one struggle, many fronts, is that right? from the struggle against police brutality to building the wall, to the struggle to protect

water, resistance that you will create will be merging across the country. these are your marching orders. take it from grandma. to go beyond trump, we must stand together in our resistance. on monday, it is may day, am i right? this is when we, when the climate justice community from a this is when we stand up together to present a vision and fight for solutions that are good for all the people, and not for profit. finally, to go beyond trump and the giant triplets, we must

commit to live in balance with mother earth. [applause] >> and that means, repeat after me -- no war, no warming, coal, gas, oil, leave it in the soil. one struggle, many fronts. again. again. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. let's give it up, everybody. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you very much. all right. you all still hot? that's ok.

because it is a good feeling to be hot this day. y'all better check the weather. remember there are water stations on 17th street near the restroom. if you need to get something to eat, there are food trucks on 14th street. we want you to stay with us. look across the street to my right, your left. that is the william jefferson clinton building. that is where the epa works. the environment protection agency. now, our next to speaker, he represents, he is the local president of the american federation of government employees and he represents epa local 3331. his name is nate james. now mr. james is here to talk about who gets hurt first and worst when we talk about government cuts. it is not just the person with a nice office.

it is all of the government employees, everyday people who make up washington, d.c., and he is also a veteran, so we are talking about also cutting jobs for veterans. is that all right with y'all? no, not at all. when the epa is under attack, what do we do? stand up, fight back. let's give a warm, warm welcome to mr. nate james. [applause] >> good afternoon, everybody. and i am so excited to be here because i speak to you as a conduit for all those employees who are working under duress and great amounts of stress at the epa. i am not talking about bureaucrats, politicians, or all these other folks that we have been misled into fighting each other about. i'm talking about people just like you sitting out here in

this audience. epa employees who are hard-working and dedicated to service, service. that is a word i have been using for the entire duration of my life. grew up as a boy scout, a cub scout, 20 years in the united states marine corps, 17 years right here at epa headquarters, and it saddens me to see my fellow workers afraid to speak to you about what they do. they do a large number of things for us, but i will try to bring it home so it means something to you. i hope that when i speak to you today, you will take some of the words i say to you back home with you. did you eat breakfast this morning? if you ate breakfast, will you eat dinner tonight? something as simple as that the epa has a role in. because chemicals are part of our everyday life. i will not make it a bad thing, but they have to be controlled, and that is what epa does.

these corporations, it is all about the buck. that's what it's all about. the bottom line is dollars. but dollars do not trump people. people trump dollars. people over profit. we have to get there. these cuts against america are cuts against the american fabric. these are taxes against the american public. if anyone else was doing what this government is doing to us now, what this administration is doing to us now, it would be declared an act of war. just a few weeks ago, in syria, sarin gas was sprayed and the united states acted immediately. that you know -- i learned this word a week ago -- so help me out. it is a chemical. it is used in our fruit.

if you ate breakfast this morning, strawberries, soybeans, but it is in the same chemical family as the sarin gas that was used in syria. we don't know these things. if epa employees could talk to you you would know more about things like that. how many of us play football? moms take our kids to soccer fields. we play on golf courses. if the grass is green and greener than it normally is, we need to ask why, because there are chemicals. i'm going to use the s word. science is real, all these things we do, all these things we do are related and come back home to us. i have five grandchildren. one is autistic. i have a large family, some suffer from asthma, and as these chemicals are used, but worst

when they are abused, and believe me without epa there will be a lot more abuse going on because corporate america is all about the dollar. we have been taught we are each other's enemies. epa is not the enemy. we protect the american family from those determined to allow their greed to take our country backwards. to make america gray again. that is the plan. to make america gray again, and for what? the almighty dollar. only we can stop it. there is not a politician who will do a thing unless we say so, so we have to demand our leader step up and take charge of things and make sure that we maintain our health. federal. we vilify the federal servants. i served in the military. nobody vilifies the military because we protect america. well it is the same thing for all your federal agents.

i took an oath for this job. i swore a same oath that i signed up for when i was in the marine corps. we have to make sure that we serve and those employees at the epa must be allowed to do that. we have been made scapegoats. we follow orders and we should not be punished for doing that. no order, no regulation comes to any of these agencies unless they are approved by congress. so why are we talking about what's wrong with what federal government is doing? it's what's right. how we do it is a different argument and i am not going there. i want you to remember, federal equals public, public equals people, you, me, our families. we are the people. we are the public. we are the federal government. we are the united states of america. america is not for sale. america is not for sale, america is not for sale, and we will fight back.

veterans are getting a double slap in the face. right now as we speak, my brothers and sisters in the armed forces could be called up to defend against korea, syria, or any other country that wants to make an attack against us, and we should not view a tax on from corporate america any differently. it says we will protect and defend against enemies both foreign and domestic, so we must fight back. greed is the driver. we cannot allow it to happen. the attacks against the federal government are nothing less than the efforts of the elite to take and divide the everyday working people. it is an attack upon the working class. it will if this or rate us to to the pointus

where all we can do, where all we can do is take the blame for what corporations do to us, so every day people, it is up to you. you have to wake up, stand up, speak up, fight back, protect your epa, because it is trying to protect you. fight back. fight back. fight back. thank you very much, everybody. >> thank you. we have water stations to fill up your water. also, sarah james, your medicine is back and the lost and found in those three white tents back there, so, sarah james, your medicine is in the back. she's an elder from alaska.

our next performer is a senior in high school and currently works with youth poets in new orleans and will now read her letter to president trump. >> good evening fellow articulate rebels. my name is nia gates and i am here representing new orleans and big class, a nonprofit organization that helps to develop creative writing skills for students to then publish their work. today i will sure student letters about the election of donald trump from our recent publication called i want you to know something about me and also a poem from yours truly. the first reading is from someone age 6. dear donald trump, i think you should fix the holes in the streets because it feels like our cars will break and you will not like that. also, donald trump you need to help with the environment. also, donald trump, i would like to write about trees because of we don't have trees we were not

have oxygen or papers so our animals will have freedom. please read my note and make a change. the second letter is from myself and it is, dear america, i can't write a letter to donald trump. why would i want to walk through the streets already a black woman, but also having to worry about who may be a trump supporter. though i believ eie in the idea of ignorance as bliss, with this situation, my eyes are open, but my heart is not. i cannot control my country, but i can put my foot in the door. the last reading from our book is from chasity hunter -- dear donald trump, it took me 17 seconds to understand the density of the bigotry you are encompassing.

you and your cohorts are messing up the land who started to accept people of the front backgrounds and sexualities. america has come so far. there is no reason we should go back. now that we have a bigoted, superficial racist as a president, i do not know what to do. not much is to be said for the heinous acts of donald trump is committed against women. lastly, a poem for myself. it is called hold your seats, the tree speaks. this is from the perspective of a tree. did you know that i give oxygen to those wasteful, ungrateful beings

and my species will live through eternity catering to the blind as they kill me with their engine exhaust gases that created from their idol brains -- i will be driven insane if i had this squishy, gray matter in the cranium, and yes, i am aware of what is in those bags, they are called bodies. my brother in and i have watched the building of empires to the fall of civilizations we give life to every soul that is pushed and pulled into the street possessing planet we have been here longer we gave breath before the was thought. even the dinosaurs were nicer, and yet we have to breathe your gases in the one that makes our roots shrivel, after trunks old and tired like what happens to you after smoke invading your lungs voluntarily, killing me and your cells. i did not ask for your secondhand smoke. all we ever wanted was to touch the clouds that we see as our own heaven, but we are pulled down, chopped for wood, killed for nothing of true worth but these two-legged beings killing me while killing themselves. thank you.

[cheers and applause] >> i am telling you, i am telling you, the youth, this generation is amazing. it is something magical to see right now, isn't it? isn't it? it is powerful. our next is an indigenous activist from nepal. give a round of applause for idina saba. [applause] >> hello, everyone. i am honored to march together with you in washington, d.c. i am here with my fellow

indigenous sisters from peru, nicaragua, tanzania, the united states. till yesterday, we have been in new york negotiating in united nations headquarters. we heard so many similar stories of how climate change is affecting indigenous peoples and indigenous women around the world. today, i stand with you, all of you here, to speak the facts, facts about the climate change, to speak what climate change looks like for indigenous peoples and women living in the most vulnerable countries in the world. climate change for us comes in the form of mudslides, rainfall, low food production, melting glaciers, and displacement from our ancestral homelands. who has an answer when the family loses their only piece of land to a landslide? who has an answer when a woman has to walk three hours just to fetch a liter of drinking water?

and mothers spend the day and night on the table for her family and finally decides to leave home to work as a migrant worker in an unsafe environment? sadly this is the reality we are living in today. the exploitation of indigenous people has always been tied with the exploitation of land and resources. both the climate change and this inequality is caused by the industries, the capitalist system, the power and resources in the hand of tiny few that discards the rights of indigenous people and women. climate change, climate change is the new for a colonization. we need to understand this. the historical responsibility of

global warming lies in the hands of developed countries like the united nations. it makes more than two thirds of the global greenhouse emissions but has done little or nothing to admit to climate change. it's been 600 million dollars on funding, but so little on environment oh protection. this tells us what our world leaders prioritize. do we agree with them? no. that is why we are here, all of us, to resist. we care and no climate change is real. if humans are going to have a future in this planet, it will have to be one where indigenous women are protected, organized, and powerful. because when indigenous women fight, humanity will survive.

our most important strategy lies in organizing ourselves, our community, seeking climate solutions that lies in the judicial of energy democracy. -- the most vulnerable climate communities on the frontline are taking action because they don't have a choice. for many of us living in developed countries who have choice and privilege, i request all of you to act fast and hard to change the climate change, and we are not alone in the struggle. we are in solidarity. this is what resistance looks like. we need to take power back in our own hands from the political

leaders and build our own movement and create an equal system. thank you. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you. round of applause, everybody. round of applause. [applause] >> i think trump even came to visit us. look over there. it is trump. hey. it's bigly. it's bigly. huge. all right, friends. so we are very, very excited. this is what democracy looks like. indeed, indeed. first and foremost, when we talk about climate change, we have to make the connection between u.s. foreign-policy and climate change. who is the biggest polluter in the world? the united states military. now we won't even get in-depth

about how much of our communities in the united states are right by military bases. we won't talk about the environmental impact of a war like the one we have in in forever and iraq, afghanistan, and iran. there is no better person who can bring home the connection between the u.s. military and climate change in peace activism than mr. george martin. he is a native of milwaukee, and he is with the martin luther king justice coalition, the former national cochair of united for peace and justice, and he is the green party shadow cabinet ambassador of peace. everybody let's give a nice piece to our good friend, mr. george martin. thank you.

>> no more war. stop the wars. save the planet. hello, family. the u.s. military is the single largest consumer of energy and the world, and the world's single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. the u.s. military doesn't measure fuel by miles per gallon. it measures fuel by gallons or barrels per hour. tanks consume 250 gallons of fuel per hour. jet planes use 1580 gallons of fuel per hour, and the b-52s,

they burn six barrels of oil per hour. the u.s. military consumes as much as one million barrels of oil a day and contributes 5% of the global warming on this earth. add to that the other militaries around the world, by the way, the u.s. congress has exempted the u.s. military and the border patrol from u.s. environmental and endangered species loss and the united nations greenhouse gas agreement. the military response to climate chaos is one, to control, eliminate, mass migrations, and

two, to wage wars over dwindling resources such as oil, water, arable land, and minerals. resource wars are being waged right now. syria with its tenure drought. israel palestine for control of water. sudan, 30 years, moving from the north, to the south, to the sub-saharan. african land grabs for arable land and minerals. de-forestation in south america and southeast asia. the recordbreaking heat of our planet is equivalent to more than 300 atomic bombs. stop the wars. save the planet.

mike check. repeat after me, mike check. stop the wars. save the planet. keep it in the ground. keep the oil under the soil. keep the gas under the grass. keep the coal in the hole. system change, not climate change. renewable energy, sustainable life, peace and love. [cheers and applause] >> now we will hear about the solutions to the climate crisis from chris.

chris is a pioneer in green construction in central kentucky for over a decade. i am so proud to have him come on up. he is actually a human being. here he comes. give a round of applause for chris. thank you. >> hey, y'all. my name is chris woolery. i am an energy efficiency professional from lexington, kentucky. i have been blessed to speak here today because i am a member of kentuckians for the commonwealth, and we are members of the climate justice alliance, also because kentucky is on the front lines in the transition away from fossil fuels. in kentucky, we know a thing or two about power. kentucky helped to power america to the industrial revolution and two world wars.

kentucky's coal communities have provided power to the world since 1820 when our states first commercial coal mine open. i learned that at the kentucky coal museum. i tell you this now because a few weeks ago that museum installed solar panels on its roof. [cheers and applause] >> yeah. you heard that right. we kentuckians know about power. we are not satisfied with the same old power. you might be surprised to hear, but we know things about new power too. we know the difference between the two. we know old energy power destroys our land, poisons our water, and harms our bodies. we know that old economic our extracts labor and wealth from our communities, especially communities of color. we know that old political power is controlled by good old boy

network of wealthy elites. but we are not going to settle for that old power anymore, and that is why kentuckians for the commonwealth have been working on this issue since at least 2009 when my friend randy wilson told a crowd at our state capitol building when he said, there is green energy. we have no more excuses. there is a way out. we know the way. the green economy is already here. there are jobs. and so, we are building that new power in kentucky every day. we are creating a just transition to make sure our workers and immunities are not left behind because we know that new energy power restores our land, protects our water, and heals our bodies.

we know that new economic power builds wealth in small communities, small businesses that are rooted in our communities. and we know that new political power allows everyone to participate in our democracy. [cheers and applause] >> so since kentuckians for the commonwealth empowered me to be here today, and my friends in appalachia are fighting white nationalists so they can calm, and i am here to represent them. i want to recognize the work that came before me that they have been doing, and i want to quote randy wilson one more time from that same rally way back in 2009 when randy said, "here is the challenge before us, if you join us today and tomorrow and the rest of tomorrow's, then one day will come when our grandchildren will sit at your

knees and you will look at them in the eye and say, honey, i was there when we started to turn this thing around. they threaten to take my job, but i was there. they told me to shut up, but i was there. they took my water, but i was there. somebody needs to stand. if we keep standing him a we keep the promise of our ancestors to our sons and daughters and say we were there to keep that promise, because what we do to the land, we do to the people." say it with me, what we do to the land, what we do to the water. thank you so much for the opportunity to speak with you here today. [cheers and applause] >> how are you all feeling? climate, jobs, and justice. yes, indeed. all right. we are going to get ready to hear some music from a great fan here in a minute, but first, i want to bring to the stage a good friend of mine, dorothy

thomas. all right, she is the detroit and great lakes organizer for the sierra club michigan chapter. all right, sierra club, i see some of you all in the building. and it's a founder of the d trade alliance, a community group dedicated to the pursuit of social justice. everybody give her a big round of applause. you all can do better. come on now. come on now. hey, d.c. >> i am dorothy thomas, a resident of detroit, michigan. i also work for the sierra club

has a great lakes organizer. my freshman year and college, my grandmother was diagnosed with three very rare forms of cancer, and one of the things doctor told us was that if we lived in a healthier, cleaner environment, it would have prolonged her life. she had to choose whether she wanted to invest in my education and support our family and move and pay for her medication. she told me, that year she passed away. also, i was diagnosed with a very rare eye disease, inflammation caused by the atmospheric conditions in our era. folks in cleveland, chicago, detroit, flint, all across the great lakes region have paid the price of the dirty fossil fuel

industry with their lives every day. my grandparents, they done all they could do to support me and raise me in an upright way, and now that i am a mother expecting to be at seven months, i want to bring my daughters into this world knowing that she has a cleaner, safer environment for future generations to come. [cheers and applause] >> communities of color, indigenous people, and low income communities, they are a disproportionate burden of toxic chemical exposure and related negative health outcomes. 60% of african-americans and 80% of latinos live in communities that are below epa air quality standards, and that is not right. if the 45th administration wants to make america great again, he

has to make it communities that have an disproportionally impacted i environmental injustice, climate in justice, water in justice great again. [cheers and applause] >> because one thing i know, healthy people equals a healthy economy. the current administration must know that black lives do matter. that environmental justice is relevant, that climate science is real, that water is life, and the people and the planet must always come before profit and corporate polluters. that time for climate justice, environment of justice and water justice is right now. this marks the beginning to a

new movement. say it after me, the people, the planet, and peace over profits. the people, the planet, and peace over profits. the people, the planet, and peace over profits. [cheers and applause] >> you, each and every one of you, are amazing. there goes my script. boom. don't need it, don't need it, actually i kind of do. each and every day you open up the laptop or look at you or phone or talk to somebody and you hear some struggle. you hear about some hardship. it is easy to get overwhelmed, but for myself, i also take time to look at the beauty around us.

you take that moment to look at your loved ones or even look at that couple and relies this is a gift unto itself, some clean water, so i want you to look around in your life right now and give that thanks for something in your life, so i want a round of applause for something you are thankful for. let me hear it. [applause] >> it is a band that interprets genres, blending colors of culture on the campus of african rhythms. their music is inspired by tradition and dedicated to the progress of music that moves the world. i want you to give a round of applause for our musical guests. [applause]

>> washington, d.c., how are you doing today? i know you are a little hot and tired after that marching, but we promise we will give you a reason to stick around. the one thing we want to make sure we get across to you is that the philosophy of most of the earth cultures of the world is simple. two points here at one, you can't eat an environmentalist without being a humanitarian if you know that all life is hoped together, then you know all life must be respected in order to move forward. if you don't have that, there is a link missing in the chain. part two, dancing is spiritual and dancing is prayer.

that's it. here we go. ♪ ♪

>> that one was from mali, west africa. we are going to give you a little bit of something from the caribbean before we go. ♪

♪

>> save our water. save our water. ♪ >> thank you, everybody. >> thank you very much, d.c. brinringing you african rhythms from around the world. keep up the fight. we have at least four more years to go. >> yes. give it up. yes. we needed that energy. i saw you in the front getting down. where is my man with the red,

feather boa. i see you. hey boo, hey. all right, you can get up now. it felt like a coming to america moment. we are happy to see you all. we want to give you an update on the numbers. d.c. marine one over there? everybody say, dump trump. hey, hey, ho, ho, donald trump has got to go. where is the sandman? he just has to exit out. he is having a rally today too. do you think it was as big as this one? we had over 200,000 people out here today from all over, and you all still look good, especially this lady with the hat.

look at you. let's go to our next guest, definitely our next speaker. >> we have three speakers before we close it out. i want to make sure you give some love to our speakers. our next one is johanna vicente. she works with maryland legal -- league of conservation voters. she has some fans here in the latino community of southeast baltimore. let's give her a round of applause here. [applause] >> [speaking spanish] i am a community organizer for a program of the maryland league of conservation voters. i am proud to be joined here.

the maryland league of conservation voters. i am proud to be joined here by many community members we have worked with in maryland. they are right over there. i am here fighting for environmental justice. families and communities like mine carry the burden of climate change. their voices are erased from the broader fight. i was born in a country where beenenous populations have displaced left and right by government and corporate greed. i am passionate about environmental justice because for me it is personal. it is personal because my mom was diagnosed with asthma after a few years of being in this country. she struggled to breathe, going to the hospital on multiple occasions with severe respiratory conditions. as i grew up i learned poor air quality causes and triggers asthma. that is when my passion began.

i am in this fight because i want an environment where communities can go outside and theyorry about whether will be able to breathe or not. i want to be able to look back and say we have left this planet for future generations. i want to make sure our mother earth is being protected. this fight is also personal because our communities are being affected disproportionally. communities of color are the mentalfected by and by issues. our communities are the ones closest to power plants, highly trafficked highways and emissions. they are surrounded by trash and litter and often neglected. back home in maryland, we are campaign that aims to replace diesel school buses -- zeroo mission

emission buses which would benefit kids across the state. >> [applause] campaign willuses be profitable thanks to our strong group, many of whom are here today. [speakingthem said -- spanish] and these strong women are doing something about it. this is not just about the environment, it is about people's lives. it is about saving the communities we live in, from advocating for hair housing -- fair housing, fighting for clean air and water -- has demonstrated that the environment affects us everywhere. this amazing group of women have worked hard to fight for the rights of the community. some of the women here were vital for helping the city of hyattsville received a central area status. -- receive a sanctuary status.

spanish]. it is time for voices of communities like mine to be at the forefront of the fight for cleaner air, water and communities. we will not sit back. we will join the conversation, we will join the fight and be part of the solution. the power to create change is on us and we will make sure that we do our part. thank you. >> [applause] [chanting] >> when we work on climate justice it is important to understand we cannot organize in silos. an injury toone is all in right now our muslim brothers and sisters and those who don't subscribe to the gender binary are under attack. one of those fighting against that attack is here.

she is a board member of the muslim women's league. let's give her a warm round of applause at this time. >> [applause] >> that was so cool. can we just do it one more time? i never thought i would do that in front of the washington monument and write down the street from the white house. thank you so much. here representing the keepers of the faith and moral consciousness and my brothers and sisters, we affectionately s,fer to ourselves as the a-z' the agnostic through zoroastrian. not has given each of us a scripture.

according to our holy books, we were all here today, from the pagans to the druids to the muslims to the it is couples to the methodist -- the episcopals to the methodists. today was the coolest ever because the mellow buddhist, once they pass trump hotel, even they booed. even our holy scriptures, they remind us we are all given our own moral autonomy to decipher what is right and what is wrong. we are reminded that we are all made from dust and we shall return to dust. we are part of an ecological web . human beings are not superior to botanical, aquatic or geological brothers and sisters of god's creation. our holy scriptures, particularly in the koran says all sides of creation battle alike in adoration to our

creator in our own way. so none of us has the right to impose ourselves because of our greed and our ego and our need for overconsumption to instill militarism, to over violate its resources and do self harm on our brothers and sisters and on ourselves because we are made from that same birth. dr. king often said that racism and militarism and the ego and consumption are all intertwined. i happen to come from the world's oldest indigenous community. from a small country far away. you may have heard about it. iraq. ok. years ago, when the u.s. decided strangee it -- it is because if iraq had exported oranges and tangerines i wonder if it really would have gone through the process of trying to liberate it but that is a whole other story. but the very land that was part of the area where my ancestors

came from is where god supposedly -- many believe -- created the first man and woman from that land and that water and breathe life into them and said deep. instead people around the world discovered oil underneath that tragically, launched a humanityault of where and civilization began. , mythrough the years ancestors and my current family and tribesmen have faced humiliation that i did not want standing rock to go through again. the land now is baron. the only place in the middle east that has the most less conditions the harsh to desperatione and rise to extremism.

children are being born with six fingers and as they walked to makeshift schools they are lunchboxeslliburton as gas is $70 a gallon in downtown baghdad. i did not want to see that in standing rock. .nd to the indigenous community when i did the pilgrimage to standing rock in november it reminded me of my roots and the human dignity. and for a split second i saw what my ancestors and my family must have gone through and that is just one example of what happens every day to indigenous people around the world. we need more and more and more. that is what religion refers to as gluttony. reminds us over and over again that natural disasters are ramifications of our doing and our self harm. and most of these people that

are affected are vulnerable people and it is the people of faith -- all right. that is probably using stolen iraqi oil right now. but we won't go there. when these vulnerable people are hit again, remember, they don't have atm cards where they can go and wrap up things and go to their houses. those people with moral conscience, when fema is playing patty cake or could linger thumbs, the houses of worship the and feet. they don't have a lot of money and they take care of it. it is our collective congregations that have money and manpower in real estate and we have to remember that. the one thing is that we cannot get our moms mad. the one person. so i can say it.

mom.e messes with our i'm speaking for the clergy. .o one messes with our mama say it with me, everybody. with one of mynd favorite verses from the carron. got refers to humanity in an interesting way. he refers to us as nations and tribes which is very interesting that he specifically uses the terminology and god in our tradition -- we believe that the koran was his monologue that was revealed to the prophet muhammad. this is my favorite verse. dividedn of adam i have you into nations and tribes so you may get to know one another and live in peace. i have given you need a book and a path so that you may follow that path that we -- that should lead to me.

do not swerve from that path. i have created you different and in need of one another. different and in need of one another." >> [applause] >> strive for peace. in vy with each other only doing good deeds. the most noble side of me is the most righteous. god bless you all. >> [laughter] [applause] >> thank you so much. thank you very much for those words. all right. stick around a little bit longer. donald trump was watching us this whole time. he is going to his rally. he is going to meet up with a couple of close friends in pennsylvania somewhere and his daughter in harrisburg, right? that is right. democracy is not for sale. you had better not put my mom on

the straw. we are here for mother earth. are we not? that is right. let's shout out to all the people watching on the livestream, who might not have seen donald trump's big helicopter leaving from here as he watched all of us give him a lovely gesture. no real quick, come on -- coming to the stage, we have someone who represents a statement. a statement that is more than just three words. so simple, and yet so important. black lives matter. >> [applause] when we think of that statement it comes up with a lot of different things. there have been a lot of people who have co-opted that word but black lives matter here.

here, rightmatter here in washington, d.c. and all across the world. so coming to the stage we have someone representing the movement for black lives and beyond the moment. we all are working to strive beyond this day and this moment and she is here to remind us of our constant need to understand how we must fight for racial justice because it is deeply connected to climate justice. can we give a big round of applause right now? you can do better than that. give it up for black lives matter. >> [applause] >> how are you doing? can you hear me all right? are you ready to fight? are you ready to fight? are you ready to resist? i don't hear you. 45 is close, right?

are you ready to fight? are you ready to fight? are you ready to fight? i am honored to be here representing the movement for black lives and those mobilizing beyond the moment. we stand here and struggle with all frontline communities who are leading the fight for justice for our people and an end to the harming and the destruction of the planet. as i stand here i am well aware that we are faced with two very powerful and harsh realities. first, we have entered into the fight of our lives. we have entered into the fight of our lives. the kind of fight that requires that willst an agenda bring more suffering to our communities and cause more harm to the planet but there is a second reality. the second reality is that winning has ever left the realm of possibility. our movements are growing. andpower is strengthening

resisting has become a chosen mandate of millions. it is our responsibility to not only recognize this reality that cannot be afraid to give voice to our visions of freedom. one that shows respect to martin luther king, a martin luther not let usry to remember, a martin luther king that talked about militarism, .aterialism, and racism in his memory, i offer the following. on militarism and protecting the planet we must call for an end obsession with's war. we must call for an end to this country's obsession with making war on the world. to the call to an end harmful military activity that this country carries out globally. not only does it lead to the loss of lives and the exacerbation of poverty but has , alicted harm on the planet

silent and ignore casualty. on capitalism, materialism, and the planet, we must challenge capitalism, decisions made by this administration and those it for it to grow the wealth of the wealthy and the power of multinational corporations and their use of fossil fuels at the expense of the earth must be vigorously confronted. vigorously confronted. radicalg such calls for redistribution of wealth and power. it means stripping away what has been stolen from us by the very rich and their corporations. and finally there is no justice without racial justice. there is no climate justice without racial justice. there is no climate justice without gender justice. there is no climate justice without clear justice. there is no justice without justice for our clear -- our q

ueer and transgender families. must end racism, everywhere it manifests and we must respect the leadership of black people, indigenous people, people of color in frontline communities most impacted by climate change. this must be a deliberate choice made up not only to end the legacy of injustice in this country but in effort to protect the earth. finally there is no doubt they may have more money, there is no doubt our opponents may have more money but we, if we choose, have more power. are anot forget that we growing majority. while at times they may have us with our back against the wall, ,e must remember the history must remember us as more than just fighting. they must remember us as fighters who have the courage to believe in winning. and aagination to dream

hard to envision something radically different. i hope that you will join us. and many of us are calling for beyond the moment on may day, may 1, international workers day. we will see our black resistance standing side-by-side with those fighting for an end to deportation. we will be fighting to protect our earth, our water, our resources, calling for an end to explication of labor. to showcome together this administration and those that seek to gain from it agenda what it means to be on the opposition of a movement more powerful than anything that they had ever seen. we will make sure that history never forgets us. are you ready to fight? are you ready to fight? are you ready to fight? thank you. >> [applause]

>> indeed. thank you, thank you. give it up for black lives matter. movement for black lives. want toe do anything, i make an announcement. there is a missing female. her name is soanya. years 5'4" and about 62 of age, with brown hair in a ponytail. she is anglo american, she has a white shirt and blue jeans on. she is staying at the hyatt capitol hill. if you see her she may get a little disoriented. it is hot outside. did you find sonia? but you are not 62. if you are, you look great. let me just tell you. you look amazing. all right. if you see her, -- it is 202-610-7500.

you really are soanya? are you really hurt? stop lying. well, and you are staying at the hyatt in capitol hill? oh my god. hey, we found sonia. and she looks great. she looks amazing. all right. we want to go ahead. we have our last closing act. and it has been a long day. some of you have traveled from a long long way. we want to say, thank you. thank you for coming and visiting us. in the nation's capital. let's all live beyond this moment. >> we hope to see you in the streets, not only here again but also back home, wherever you came from. participate in the mayday actions coming up all across the country in solidarity with our

immigrant brothers and sisters and the workers across this country. there will be cultural performances, frontline folks. our community is coming together to express our unified resistance to colonialism, imperialism and any kind of - ism. thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. it has been a beautiful day, a beautiful moment to share with each and every one of you. you make me so proud. >> definitely. shout out to empower d.c., shout out to all of the organizations that played a role in organizing this massive, over 200,000 people marched in washington, d.c. please go to people's climate march to figure out follow-up actions. other events happening in the city. today, there are lots of things but before anything else let's close this out with a very

wonderful group called "sanctuary." "secondary" is a group that is near and tear to my heart. they use their face and they showcase it through art and culture. , have a dc-based congregation based right down the street from my house. shout out toward five of washington, d.c. and they have some amazing work for the organization that i work ith, empower d.c. helping us to spread the word about displacement in the community. in the southeast. we want to say, give a big round of applause for "sanctuary." >> thank you all. thank you. >> see you all again soon.

>> good afternoon. can you hear me? good afternoon, brothers and sisters. i am gabrielle williams. others.e with sanctuary. represent we are a sacred community of artists and activists from diverse racial and spiritual backgrounds. sent to area is the only interface arts collective in the country and we are based right here in the nation's capital. we are pleased to be here with you today. to theto give thanks ancestors because without them we would not be here. i think it is especially symbolic that we are here, adjacent to the national museum of african american history

where the memory of one of my direct ancestors is enshrined so i am proud to be with all of you today. next to my ancestors. " to theve a big "ashay ancestors. i want to give thanks to the elders who braved the heat from far and wide because you lead us and we honor you and without you we would not be who we are and take you as well to the youth for giving us the vibrance and the life and the inspiration that we need to move on. you all are the future. we are here together today to stand up for our grandmother earth. all of us are warriors in our own way. we are facing a long and arduous battle with the highest of steaks. but what we must remember is that a warrior cannot fight the good fight without self-care. you cannot pour from an empty

cup. we at the sanctuary community are here to bring you some healing and loving. it's give thanks and gratitude for our grandmother earth for giving us the breath of life. you.y peace be upon all of i am going to recite a couple of verses from the carron -- from the koran to close out. giving." ite mercy comes from a root that means "the womb." and the meaning of this verse basically is that god talks about his creation of the stars and trees and the gift of human language and he says that he created the heavens and the

earth in balance. and you people do not upset that balance. and that is what we are all here trying to do today and that is a good prayer for us to end on which is that we are all trying to and we are going to continue striving to keep the balance, restore the balance between humanity and the natural world of this planet. >> [applause] [singing] ♪

>> [applause]

so i am a sound healer. that is what i do. one of the most powerful pats to healing is through song. we offer you now a medicine song from the shamanic tradition of the andes. in a pre-colonial it means "mother earth." medicine music is meant to be shared cross culturally and i learned this song from my shaman in south america and it has afforded me a lot of healing through my journey. the song says "mother earth, you warm me. you feed me. she is literally, quite literally our mother." but much like any other thing worth doing this song will only be powerful if we all sing together. so we will lead you and ask that

you breathe deeply, connect with those around you, especially the earth that has given us the breath of life. >> ♪

>> we thank you. i want to make sure you all know that there are installations to the left and right. we would like you all to participate in both. , let us just have you repeat after us. >> mother earth, i will protect you. earth, i will respect you. earth, i will fight for you. you. ♪

>> fcc chairman proposed reversing the obama 's reversal of internet regulation. >> in a our administration mall

during the clinton administration, the bush administration, and the first six years of the obama administration. we will speakt, at the american enterprise institute about their thoughts on the impacts of the proposal. >> we think the rules that we got in 2015, the net neutrality rules are working. they are wildly popular. an overwhelming majority of americans want clear road r rules down the road. inceptione internet's , the internet was free and open to the was not a problem. as the chairman said, there was no dystopian control of internet with people interfering with post contentity to

or to look at the content of their choice. >> watch the communicators monday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern time on c-span2. >> check out our c-span classroom website at cspan. org/classroom. it is full of teaching resources for c-span classroom members. videosudes current event that highlight important events in washington, d.c. that bringn clips the constitution to life, social studies lesson plans, and more. we can allow you to filter by date, person, keyword, topic, and grade level. our bellringer video clips are teacher favorites. they are short videos that pair with discussion questions to make the federal government more accessible to your students. >> i love the bellringers.

i will use them in conjunction with an activity we are doing that day as more of a wrap up. >> the new website is just fabulous. .y students use it regularly it is so easy that they are right now working on clipping videos and making questions that they can then turn into their own bellringers. >> humbly my favorite part is the deliberation stage. set up, readytly to go discussion topics. >> if you are in middle school or high school teacher, join thousands of teachers across the nation as a member of c-span classroom. it is easy to register. if you register now, you can request a free, classroom size american president timeline poster. you can find out more about it at