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Marking Trump's 100th Day, Thousands In Boston Call For Climate Change Action

While Saturday's climate rally took place in Boston, the main march occurred in Washington, D.C. (Bob Shaffer/WBUR)
While Saturday's climate rally took place in Boston, the main march occurred in Washington, D.C. (Bob Shaffer/WBUR)

Coinciding with the 100th day of President Trump's administration, thousands of people gathered on Boston Common Saturday to call for increased actions to fight climate change and protect the environment.

Carrying signs and leading chants, protesters at the People’s Climate Movement rally said more needs to be done to counter what they see as the president's efforts to roll back environmental protections.

Similar rallies were held throughout the country during the day, with the main People's Climate March taking place in Washington, D.C.

Reverend Mariama White-Hammond from Bethel AME Church in Jamaica Plain led Saturday's speakers at the People's Climate Movement rally on Boston Common. (Bob Shaffer/WBUR)
Rev. Mariama White-Hammond from Bethel AME Church in Jamaica Plain led Saturday's speakers at the People's Climate Movement rally on Boston Common. (Bob Shaffer/WBUR)

Among the speakers on Boston Common was the Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, an ecological justice minister at Bethel AME Church in Jamaica Plain.

White-Hammond urged the crowd to continue taking action against climate change and environmental degradation.

"We are here because there is no Planet B," White-Hammond said. "There's no backup plan if we ruin this Earth that we have. And so we the people are gathering to tell our national leaders and our local leaders that we are committed to environmental justice."

White-Hammond said that "environmental justice" relates to how social issues are interconnected within communities. As policies are crafted to fight climate change, she said other elements of everyday life must also be taken into account and balanced.

"Because it's not just enough to lower emissions if we don't figure out how to lift people out of poverty," White-Hammond said. "And even as we fight for a carbon tax, we also need to end mass incarceration. We can not save ourselves unless we turn and unite with our neighbors."

It was the second weekend in a row where a rally in support of science took place on the Common — last weekend saw the March for Science.

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(Bob Shaffer/WBUR)
(Bob Shaffer/WBUR)
Rally-goers gathered on Boston Common Saturday for the People's Climate Movement rally. (Bob Shaffer/WBUR)
Rally-goers gathered on Boston Common Saturday for the People's Climate Movement rally. (Bob Shaffer/WBUR)

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Bob Shaffer was a producer in WBUR’s newscast unit.

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