The Climate Shoe Strike allowed for the community to participate in the climate strike, but rather than be there in person, their shoes stood in place for them.
After helping plan and attend the Climate Strike at UNR in 2019, I decided it would only be right to hold another event this year to commemorate the Global Day of Climate Action. Despite COVID-19 posing a problem for striking in large groups, students from all around the globe have found creative solutions to overcome this challenge. Particularly, I gathered a group of students in my community to collaborate to find an alternative; we decided on a Shoe Strike for Climate Justice.
The Climate Shoe Strike allowed for the community to participate in the climate strike, but rather than be there in person, their shoes stood in place for them. Rather than a protest, this event was more of an artistic expression of climate justice and youth movements for a stable climate and a clean and healthy planet. Students from three schools in my town of Truckee, CA, gained support from their schools and families and were responsible for putting the strike together.
We held a shoe drive at all three schools and each school designed a banner. The strike was held in downtown Truckee, where the entire community could walk or drive by to admire the presentation. The outcome was very successful and we ended up with over 100 pairs of shoes. Many people walked by throughout the event with curiosity and encouragement for what we were doing. From this event I learned that creativity is a needed element in all arrangements and even in a pandemic a community can come together to raise awareness for movement they’re passionate about.