Working for “Everyone’s Piece of the Pie”

In March 1965, the first of three civil rights marches from Selma to Montgomery took place to bring awareness to the struggles of disenfranchised African-Americans.  A year later, in March 1966, Cesar Chavez organized a 340-mile march from Delano, in California’s central valley, to Sacramento to bring awareness to the struggles of farm workers.  Last Friday, March 5, 2010, a diverse group of Californians began a 48-day “March for California’s Future” to bring awareness of the plight of working-class Californians affected by the budget crisis, continuing the civil rights tradition of nonviolent, public marching in order to bring about reform.

My colleague David Pettit and I had the privilege to participate in the kick off rally held at Mount Moriah Baptist Church.  An incredible energy of solidarity and hope filled the church as various civil rights leaders pumped up the crowd and offered encouragement for the journey ahead.  By the end of the rally, the diverse coalition of labor, education, and faith groups became one unified body, working toward the common goals of “reclaiming the promise of quality public education and services,” “rebuilding state government so it works for everyone,” and “restoring fair and equitable taxes to invest in California’s future.”  As one marcher put it, they were not marching for “their piece of the pie” but for everyone’s stake in the future.

This idea of working for everyone’s piece of the pie resonated in me, not just because of the altruism it requires, but also because that is how I view the environmental justice work we do at NRDC.  We consider clean air something that belongs not just to the privileged few but to the many.  That is why we fight to clean up dirty trucks at the Ports and irresponsible and dangerous freeway expansions.  That is why we fight for cleaner fuel and better public transit.  We fight these battles to protect the right to clean air that belongs to everyone, not just the privileged few, now and into the future.