Join Extinction Rebellion, an international direct action movement, on Saturday, February 16, 2019 at 3:30 pm for an opening ceremony and solidarity gathering! We begin our afternoon at Athol Plaza in Downtown Oakland with opening remarks, before starting our contemplative walk to the lake; we will then gather around the Lake Merritt Amphitheater for a ceremony and incredible lineup of speakers.

In the spirit of grief, love, and compassion, we will gather to honor Earth and to affirm our commitment to rebel nonviolently against government inaction on climate change. The gathering is the first step in a series of XR events this spring as we build up to International Rebellion Week in April. Please join us and join the rebellion!

This event will include a climate ribbon ceremony, a silent march, art & music and amazing speakers including:

– Joanna Macy, author of Active Hope
– Pennie Opal Plant of Idle No More
– Rhiannon Hewitt, who performed at the Pathway to Paris
– Ryan Rising of Permaculture Action Network

Please help us fill the amphitheater by spreading the word to your friends, colleagues and family members on social media. Also, please ask them to sign up on our Action Network page for updates on future actions.

Help us turn up the noise on Twitter by using the hashtag #XRBayArea and click “attending” on this Facebook event.

BRING:
A CANDLE: Please bring A CANDLE, one for each person coming. It may be windy, so we suggest a candle in a glass, or a taper candle with an improvised shield – we trust your ingenuity.

GENERAL: This is an outdoor event, so layers, an umbrella and comfortable shoes, water and your own snacks. We gather rain and shine.

KIDS: This is a kid friendly event, though there will not be specific programming for children.

ART: We have created some inspiring art for this event. We encourage everyone to create your own additional signs, banners, puppets, etc – we love your style!

WHO WE ARE:
We are the Extinction Rebellion, an international nonviolent direct action movement that represents nothing less than radical love at work. We aim to drive radical change, through nonviolent resistance, in order to avert climate breakdown and minimize the risk of human extinction and ecological collapse. In a matter of a few months, XR has sprouted up in more than 200 locations around the world and it continues to grow.

We rebel because our governments’ continued submission to fossil fuel interests is setting us on the path to climate change catastrophe and extinction. We rebel because we understand that racial healing and climate justice are inextricably linked. The communities most harmed by climate change — indigenous nations, poor communities, front line communities of color — are the ones least responsible for producing it. We rebel because the systems that have transformed our climate are fundamentally unjust. We rebel because we are in dire need of broad-based, grassroots resistance and collaboration for resilience amid deep social divisions and runaway climate change. We rebel because our kinship with all life on Earth requires us to do so.

For more information, message XR Coordination through the FB page.