Hundreds of Bay Area students marched across San Francisco’s Financial District on Friday, as part of a global day of demonstrations tied to the Fridays for Future youth movement.
Sofia Palau and Simon Singh, YVA leaders, pose for a portrait outside the BlackRock building on March 25, 2022, in San Francisco. ‘We’re protesting against BlackRock because of their violation of Native land rights and their heavy investment in fossil fuels. They’re also managing the California Teachers Association’s money and they’re investing it in fossil fuels and destroying the futures of their students without most of the teachers’ knowledge,’ Palau said. (Amaya Edwards/KQED)
Oakland’s Youth Vs. Apocalypse organized high schoolers and other young kids from across the region. The students walked from Embarcadero Plaza to the headquarters of the investment management company BlackRock on Howard St. and to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on Sansome St.
The protestors painted their hands red and marked the pavement to symbolize how these groups are failing to protect their lives and futures.
Kendal Erving poses for a portrait on March 25, 2022. Her hands are covered in red paint, which was provided to students so they could leave handprints at the BlackRock building. This symbolizes the blood advocates say BlackRock has on their hands as a fossil fuel investor. (Amaya Edwards/KQED)
“The world is in a state of crisis,” organizers said in a statement. “The climate crisis threatens the sake of all life on earth. We recognize that the climate crisis does not impact people equally and disproportionately severely impacts communities of color as well as low income communities.”
“BlackRock directly funds the climate crisis and ICE is displacing and committing violence against climate refugees and people seeking safety,” they said. “We demand change now so that we can have a tomorrow.”
Kevin G. Ruano Hernandez speaks during a Youth Vs. Apocalypse climate strike at the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco on March 25, 2022. Hernandez, 18, is an environmental justice organizer in Richmond. (Amaya Edwards/KQED)
KQED’s María Fernanda Bernal spoke with one youth organizer, Richmond’s Kevin G. Ruano Hernandez, who said the cause is personal.
