KFTC members are taking part in a week of climate action in California

Seven members and two staff of KFTC are in San Francisco right now, participating in a week of climate actions called Solidarity to Solutions (Sol2Sol for short), aimed at bringing grassroots voices and solutions to the forefront during a major global climate summit that is being hosted by California Governor Jerry Brown and attended by many corporate and state leaders. The Kentuckians are among 500 grassroots delegates organized by It Takes Roots, a collection of four important networks, including the Climate Justice Alliance, Right To The City, Grassroots Global Justice, and the Indigenous Environmental Network.

The Sol2Sol week has been planned with the following goals: "To serve and be in solidarity with the leadership of communities in the Bay Area, across the state, and around the world; to challenge, expose and stop the massive subsidies being handed to multi-national corporations that are violating and destroying our families, ecosystems, and climate; to move public funds to repair, restore and protect Mother Earth and all her peoples; to end the epidemic of disaster capitalism, and redirect stolen wealth to the service, solidarity, and support of communities who are developing place-based solutions to address the root causes of climate change, poverty, and the crisis of democracy."

On Saturday, the nine KFTC members joined with more than 30,000 others in a large and boisterous march in downtown San Francisco, organized by the People's Climate Movement. 

"I'm honored to be here," said Alexa Hatcher from Bowling Green. "Yesterday was about connecting to one another. Everyone was taking care of each other. We were marching with a single purpose and that's to build solidarity where corporations and government powers have historically worked to keep us apart. We are not fighting against each other for scarce resources anymore. We're coming together against a common enemy that has worked to keep us silent and dependent to build a better future for us all."

Patrick Greene of Knott County explained that his purpose during the week is "to learn more about a Just Transition, about solutions that can be implemented in the mountains that allow people to stay in the mountains – stay home and fight for a clean environment and live a clean life."

And Teri Blanton of Madison County reflected, "Kentuckians want real jobs – jobs that do not kill them and kill the environment they love. We want solutions. If we want energy independence, we want true energy independence. That means solar panels or wind turbines on our houses and small community-driven solutions."

Additional KFTC participants include Stanley Sturgill and Lily Milovnik, both of Harlan County, Kevin Short from Laurel County, Gail Chandler from Shelby County, Laura Harper Knight from Bowling Green and Nikita Perumal from Lexington. 

The group will remain in San Francisco throughout this week, participating in a powerful series of conferences, workshops, and direct actions. Check for updates on KFTC's Facebook page.