TJ for Future organized a walkout to “strike for our future” in Washington DC on March 25, 2022. 

The walkout was inspired by Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future strike. The purpose was to raise awareness of climate change and get more people involved.

“Climate change is an issue I care deeply about. Carbon dioxide levels are the highest they’ve been in around two million years. We need to do something, anything to help the cause,” sophomore participant Maribelle Chu said.

The participants saw this as an opportunity to organize together and raise their voices collectively, since it can be hard to make substantial changes on their own.

“Without action by our nation’s leaders, climate change is likely to be an increasingly dangerous issue,” Chu said.

The officers of TJ for Future advertised for people to join and sign up on Facebook. For most of the attendees, it was their first time being a part of a protest.

“Everyone’s energy coming together for one cause was an amazing experience I will always remember. If I looked at all the people around me, I could see their passion for helping the earth,” Chu said.

Students carpooled and rode buses to Lafayette Square, and even though the protest started small, it grew quickly and many people joined in.

“When I arrived, it started out as a small crowd of people in front of the white house in Lafayette Square, but by the time we marched to the capitol building, hundreds of people joined. I loved that everyone came together in one place to encourage leaders to pass legislation to help climate change,” Chu said.