Cornell on Fire Weekly 4/24
Dear Cornell on Fire,
When over 440 people take action across Tompkins County to reclaim their relationship with earth and one another, something moves.
“Let yourself learn, and don’t stay stuck. Ago? Amé!” With 8th-grader Lochlan Makepeace Nunn, we reclaimed our will to change an ecocidal system rooted in injustice.
“We must act with urgency and determination to protect our planet and all of our relations.” Urged on by Seneca Indigenous youth leader Yanenowi Logan, we reclaimed interconnectedness with earth and all living beings.
“Fighting for the environment is a deep spiritual experience.” With Assemblymember Anna Kelles, we reclaimed the fight for life as a matter of soul, not “politics” (as many institutions allege in an effort to claim political “neutrality” on climate issues, thereby serving fossil fuel interests and the status quo).
“What works better than individual actions? Organized, collective pressure campaigns.” Against the myth of individuality, we reclaimed the reality of collective action with Cornell professor and divestment advocate Caroline Levine.
“Cornell is way behind on climate commitments. Good promises were made. I think we need to hold their feet to the fire.” With Cornell professor and scientist Robert Howarth, we reclaimed our right to demand climate accountability from all of our institutions including Cornell.
On Monday, April 22, the people of Ithaca joined forces across campuses and the community to act in concert with the national movement to Reclaim Earth Day. We streamed in from the east, south, north, and west, in six different marches converging on the center. Under clear blue skies, we reclaimed our duty and our right to climate honesty, closing the distance between our knowledge of earth’s suffering and our ability to speak about it.
If your feet were among the 344 feet that marched to the Commons on Monday, or the 700 feet that stood to attention for the Call to Action on the Commons, thank you. You helped create a powerful collective action that was covered in The Cornell Daily Sun, The Dispatch, WSKG Public Broadcasting, WRFI Ithaca Now, and outlets yet to come.
Please bring your steps forward by continuing to walk in beauty, as Diné (Navajo) scholar and Cornell professor Michael Charles asked of us. “Walking in beauty means we walk with humility, understanding that our movements are not led by our egos but by our love for justice and our love for our people. When we act with humility, we also honor all the work that has been done before us. We understand that our work has already been elevated by the work of our ancestors and the generations who fought for justice before us.”
Our time is short, but the story of life is long. As Christa Nunez reminded us, we all carry our grandmother’s gifts today. Let us become good ancestors to those who will come after us.
Join us and others in our efforts towards that work:
Thursday, April 25, 6:30-8:00pm: Cornell on Fire Working Group meeting.
On Ho Plaza this Friday, 11-12:30, we will adorn the Plaza with the signs of Reclaim Earth Day.
On Thursday, May 2, 11:45-1:15pm, join an Atkinson Topical Lunch with Bryan Alexander, author of Universities on Fire and movement advisor to Cornell on Fire.
On Friday, May 3, 4:30-6:00pm, advance climate justice policy with NYSERDA Senior Advisor Sameer Ranade. Organized by Cornell on Fire & alliance partners (MVR 1153, or hybrid via this Zoom link).
It’s a good time to reclaim our earth.
Sincerely,
Cornell on Fire
