Rachel Stoltzfoos | Staff Reporter
MSNBC touted a group of kids who are skipping school every Friday to protest inaction on climate change in a broadcast Friday.
“In over 500 cities and 75 countries, these students are skipping school and taking to the streets,” host Stephanie Ruhle reported.
After struggling to comprehend a quote the movement is based on, Guthrie gave up and looped in a reporter on the ground. “Help me understand this. What is going on here?” she asked.
“Friday for Future is this idea of students skipping school on Friday to essentially say, ‘Look, why do I need to go to school if I don’t know the future based on the state of the planet?’” Savannah Sellers said. “That’s what these students have been doing for a long time. They have been skipping school.”
Sellers then interviewed three of the young girls at the protest, who spoke passionately about the “sacrifice” they are making for the sake of the planet.
“I’ve been skipping school for 11 weeks now,” 12-year-old Ella said. “And it is a sacrifice that we have to make because we are missing important things, but we realize that if we don’t skip this school, we might not have a future. So we need to.”
“So it kind of makes me think that in the 2020 election, I’m scared for my future,” 13-year-old Jia added. “I’m scared that the politicians won’t be declaring a climate emergency — won’t be taking climate action. That’s why, because I personally can’t vote, and I’m begging my parents to let — to vote for the candidate that wants climate action, that wants to make sure fossil fuel companies don’t have taxes on them. I want — like we — I want change, and I hope my parents do, too.”
Ella added that in addition to skipping school, they are trying to avoid using plastic and “educating” people at their school about climate.
“It’s amazing you guys are doing this at your age,” Sellers said as she concluded the interview. “Thank you for talking to us. And there is also a group of students here championing this idea of debate focused solely on climate change with the candidates leading up to 202o.”
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