2024 Vermonters Together March & Rally For Justice
On Saturday, Jan 27, 2024, hundreds of Vermonters from across the state came together for a beautiful rally filled with art, spirit, and resounding words. We reaffirmed our resolve to work together to create a better future for all. We called on Governor Scott and Legislators to work for people and the planet, not special interests, to stop greenwashing Vermont’s energy sector, and to support all communities’ and ecological health and resilience.
Here are some of our favorite photos from Saturday. Here’s what Channel 5 had to say about the event. Check out the full video from Orca Media!
“When we shift our priorities from making money by depleting ecosystems, to healing the ecosystems that sustain all life, communities will also be sustained. Children won’t have to wonder if there will be a livable planet left when they are an adult. We as a people can be a keystone species that plays a positive role in ecological systems.”
- Emily Boles, Abenaki Forest Steward, White River Land Collaborative at the 2024 Vermonters Together March & Rally ForJustice
Vermonters from across the state came together in the capital city to call on the state’s decision-makers to address current economic, social and environmental injustice for the sake of the next generation. Later is too late. We need to act now to build a thriving future for us all.
Vermonters are calling for Legislators and the Governor to create a more equitable, peaceful and healthy economy in balance with our planet. Business and politics as usual has 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 solutions to these problems are interconnected and Legislators need to start by addressing the root-causes of injustice. We are bigger than what divides us. No more corporate schemes, forgotten people, mass incarceration 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.
The rally was organized by a coalition of justice organizations in Vermont, whose marginalized and front-line voices are struggling to be heard in the halls of the statehouse. The Brass Balagan Band supported the March, bringing everyone together through the power of music to communicate and form connections. Change is needed in the way the voices and experiences of all Vermonters are incorporated into state legislation.
Rally speakers covered a diverse group of Vermont residents representing frontline and underserved communities, including youth groups, indigenous peoples, migrant workers, low-income families and faith groups:
Emily Boles, Abenaki land steward of the White River Land Collaborative forestry project
Earl Hatley, Environmental Justice Organizer and member of the Missisquoi Abenaki and Shawnee Cherokee tribes
Jose Ignacio de la Cruz, Migrant Justice Leader
Reverend Joan Javier-Duval, Minister of the Unitarian Church of Montpelier and Tri-Chair of the Vermont Poor People's Campaign
Matthew LaFluer, Environmental Justice Network Steering Committee
Shawna Trader, Rainbow Bridge Community Center and Barre Up!
Graham Unangst-Rufenacht, Rural Vermont
Ashley Winter, Climate Action Collective (University of Vermont)
With Emcee Grace Palmer, Climate Action Collective (St. Mike’s) and singer-songwriter.
Ashley Winter, a student at University of Vermont, spoke about the need for change saying: “I hope this event shows people the power of being in unity. We are all here because these issues are deeply entangled within our society and we need something to change. These issues cannot be addressed separately, or just by individual groups. They are interconnected and must be addressed through community, solidarity and collective action.”
Emily Boles, Abenaki land steward, shared her concern and hope for ecosystems and communities in VT and around the world: “It is time to live in balance with the Earth again.”
Among the issues that the organizers are asking the legislature and the Governor to act on are:
Making climate friendly energy accessible and affordable to all Vermonters by allowing municipalities to build thermal energy networks, increasing the amount of solar and wind in the region, and developing a ratepayer protection mechanism.
Mitigating extreme weather events by phasing out the use of carbon polluting fuels in Vermont - biomass, biofuels, renewable natural gas, and the use of large-hydro power, unbundled energy credits, and hydrogen.
Expanding paid family and medical leave, the child tax credit (CTC) and earned income tax credit (EITC)
Protecting tenants’ rights to safe and just housing by creating a rental registry, prohibiting landlords from requesting social security numbers, passing just cause eviction, and protecting group net metering and community solar.
Canceling plans for new prisons and juvenile facilities in 2024 and developing alternatives to incarceration.
In wrapping up the March and Rally for Justice, Reverend Joan Javier-Duval, Minister of the Unitarian Church in Montpelier and Tri-Chair of the Vermont Poor People’s Campaign, said: “The moral imperatives to live sustainably on our planet and ensure economic dignity for all Vermonters go hand in hand. Any chance for a future in which all of us thrive requires us to come together in solidarity and make our voices heard.”
The overall message of the speakers at the Rally for Legislators and Governor Scott is that it takes courage to work for systemic change confronting injustice, but time is running out. Later is too late.
The March & Rally for Justice was organized by a coalition of justice organizations across Vermont including:
350Vermont
Acorn Vermont
Bethany UCC Randolph
Bridge to Rutland
Champlain Valley Sunrise
Climate Action Collective (UVM, Champlain, St Mike’s students)
Free Her
Jewish Voice for Peace
Middlebury Sunday Night Environmental Group
Regeneration Corps
Rights and Democracy
Rural Vermont
Standing Trees
Stop VT Biomass
Thetford Hill Church
Third Act Vermont
VT Climate and Health Alliance
VT Environmental Justice Network
VT Healthy Soils Coalition
VT Interfaith Action
VT Interfaith Power and Light
VT Peace/Anti-War Coalition
VT Poor People’s Campaign
Voices for Vermont’s Children