Joining the largest climate march in history

It was a chilly morning on the 21st of September when we rode the subway in New York with our placards and water bottles. We were going to the assembly point in front of the American Museum of Natural History to join the People’s Climate March in the United States. We were already running late as the Filipino contingent from the US, as well as those who flew in from home, just came from a mobilization in Union Square and a forum on climate justice the day before.

There were already several activities that had been ongoing for the week. The Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) had a two-day caucus determining how they would put their voice in the UN Climate Summit and the ways to strengthen their grassroots movements. Dr. Efleda Bautista, spokesperson of People’s Surge, came as a global ambassador for the Philippines as part of the 350.org activities. She is a survivor of Typhoon Yolanda and lost her home, relatives and friends to the typhoon last year.