There’s a lot to be learned from an event that manages to bring around 400,000 people together.  Getting to be a part of the People’s Climate March was a sobering experience for me.

As a young woman growing up and watching my family be impacted by climate change in the coal fields, it was an absolute privilege to march along side other Appalachians in one common goal. As if marching for the place that I call ‘Home’ wasn’t enough, I was marching with 400,000 other people who were also taking steps towards a common goal.

What really moved me was that within this commonality, there were hundreds of different reasons people were passionately marching for. Things climate change affects that I had never even thought of, and even if I had thought about it, I hadn’t really given them much consideration.

This morning, 1000s of people flooded Wall Street (with youth showing up strong!), creating a human sea to match the rising waters that Wall Street funds with their massive investments in fossil fuel industry.

We showed up at #FloodWallStreet, expressing opposition to tar sands exploitation in Minnesota, demanding justice and safety from rising waters in the Rockaways of New York, and visioning for a just transition to clean energy in the Southeast  -- and we recognize that these fights are all united through the capitalist, oppressive system that dominates our society.

As I write this, people are still everywhere in the financial district-x- after 5+ hours of occupying several blocks of Wall Street. Check out a few of the amazing photos and visit floodwallstreet.net for more!

And we’re off! Start of our trek from Battery Park to Wall Street. Photo by Flood Wall Street / Flickr.

The Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition is gearing up for the 2014-2015 school year, and it’s shaping up to be as strong as ever. In a few weeks, we are hosting our Fall Summit, which will be a great opportunity for Kentucky youth to learn about our work and get plugged in. Plus, we'll be camping, eatin good food, and having lots of fun. Until then, here's a recap of our already busy semester!