1/27 Vermonters Together - Building a Better Future Rally
On Saturday, January 27th, hundreds of Vermonters gathered in Montpelier for the Vermonters Together - Building a Better Future March & Rally to call for Legislators and the Governor to create a more equitable, peaceful and healthy economy in balance with our planet. Business and politics as usual have left the state scrambling in the face of extreme weather and geopolitical events during 2023. The result? An affordable housing crisis, social unrest, overwhelmed food shelves, low-income families spending over 5 times more of their monthly income on energy bills than higher-income families, and one of the highest per capita carbon emissions of all the states in the Northeast US.
The problems we are working to solve are interconnected and we need our Legislators to address the root-causes of injustice. We are bigger than what divides us. No more corporate schemes, forgotten people, prisons and wars. Vermont should be built on a strong democracy that prioritizes the needs of the people and our collective future. Together we can embrace new solutions that drive investments in our communities, farmers and our land, provide safe, warm and affordable housing, and give all Vermonters access to 100% low-emissions income-assessed energy. It takes courage to work for systemic change, but time is running out. Later is too late.
The 1/27/24 march and rally were organized by 350 VT and a number of supporting organizations, including Rural Vermont, calling for action and solidarity at the intersection of climate change, human rights, social justice, agriculture and more. We were invited to join the coalition and event and to speak to some of these intersections, in particular, food sovereignty, human rights, and internationalism.
Take a look at Graham’s speech as well as Earl Hatley, Rural Vermont board member, speaking as an Environmental Justice Organizer and member of the Missisquoi Abenaki and Shawnee Cherokee tribes, as well as a gallery of photos from the day below…
