Dozens of students rallied under a clear sky to support an amendment to the Constitution that protects the environment and human rights.
Kerrington Scott, 15 years old, rose above the crowd.
Scott, dressed in a white puffer coat and a wind chimes through Annapolis’ Lawyers Mall, stood up before around 50 demonstrators to demand that Maryland lawmakers grant every Maryland resident the right of a clean, healthy environment.
Students have long been undervalued for the power of their voices. We have been told we’re too young for this, or it’s a bigger issue than we think, the Bard High School Early College sophomore said. If you are interested in this, please let us know. [politicians] won’t listen to the next generation, who will they listen to?
Scott joined dozens of students from Maryland to take part in the Environmental Human Rights Student rally. It was held just steps from the Maryland State House. The rally, organized by the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club, saw students from this university, Loyola University Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Annapolis High School and others.
If approved by both chambers, the Environmental Human Rights Amendment will appear on the November voters’ ballots. It would allow Marylanders the opportunity to join a few states that have a constitutional right of healthy environments.
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Many demonstrators noted how students have been at the forefront of environmental justice legislation in the states for years, with little payoff.
Kallan Benson was there as a climate activist for Fridays For Future. Her eighteenth birthday was the day before.
I’ve been here, year after year, working on environment and climate legislation, Benson said. I cannot tell when this bill will be passed, but I can tell that we will continue to be here until it does. [it does].
Despite some frustration with lawmakers’ complacency about climate change regulations the spirit of hope was palpable. Students lined the perimeters of Lawyers Mall proudly holding signs that read “We are not disposable” and “Fight for our Futures.”
Meredith Lyttle, a student, believes the amendment is important because it places human rights at the heart of any environmental movement.
The slogan says that environmental rights are human right. That’s what we need to keep in mind, the sophomore speech pathology major at Loyola University Maryland said. That’s why we came out here today. That’s why we made these posters. That’s why we’re advocating.
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Serena Newton, University of Maryland Sustainability Council member, added that the amendment demonstrates how important environmental issues are for every Marylander.
I think [environmental justice]The freshman agricultural and resource economics major said that it transcends many of our differences. It gives me a lot to believe in.
Climate justice advocates, including members of Maryland Chapter of Sierra Club, and staff from Baltimore Office of Sustainability, shared information with students about providing written or oral testimony in support of the bill. Students also wrote handwritten notes to the legislators to ask them to act on human rights in the environment during this session.
Rosa Hance, chairperson of the Maryland Chapter, said that The Diamondback students are a cornerstone in the push for environmental rights legislation at the General Assembly this session.
Hance said that the movement is more effective when there are more people involved. He also stated that students are most impacted by the movement and have more energy and excitement. “Honestly, it keeps a lot of people motivated to know that students are into it.”
Del. Wanika Fisher, a Democratic senator from Prince Georges, also attended the rally. She highlighted the importance and value of the environmental human right amendment for communities that are most adversely affected by environmental factors throughout the state.
Fisher stated that the student support of the environmental human rights bill was a poignant sign of the future generation of legislators, directors of nonprofits, and more.
Fisher said, “I know you all have amazing futures.” This is a crucial part of it because we want you to feel secure that your future will be in a healthy place that you can live.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated the governor needs to sign the bill for it to appear on voters’ ballots. To appear on the ballot for the general public, the bill requires a vote of 3/5 from both chambers. This story has been updated.