Chris Korsak

Portland Branding, headshot, and product photographer

People protesting at the global climate strike in Portland, OR on 09/20/19

Global Climate Strike on 09/20/19

October 3, 2019

On September 20th, 2019, over 4 million people in 150 countries filled the streets to protest global inaction on climate change. Students all over the world have been striking on Fridays over the last year in a movement known as Fridays for Future. This specific event was an invitation for adults like me to join them. How could I not? I went to the strike in my home town of Portland, Oregon and was deeply moved by what I saw that day.

Portland City Hall

The strike officially started at 10:30am at Terry Schrunk Plaza right next to Portland City Hall. Tens of thousands of people filled the area and surrounding streets. I wandered around that morning and did my best photo-journalist impression. Here are some of my favorites from around the plaza:

Terry Schrunk Plaza in Portland, OR Terry Schrunk Plaza in Portland, OR Terry Schrunk Plaza in Portland, OR

The mood that day was a combination of what-the-fuck outrage mixed with youthful exuberance. Emotions were high. There was also a noticeable openness and feeling of connection surrounding everyone. With this openness in the air, I felt pretty comfortable approaching and photographing strangers.

People protesting at the global climate strike in Portland, OR on 09/20/19 People protesting at the global climate strike in Portland, OR on 09/20/19 People protesting at the global climate strike in Portland, OR on 09/20/19

The sign (above) was one of my favorites of the day. Simple, yet effective.

People protesting at the global climate strike in Portland, OR on 09/20/19

I struck up a conversation with the student on the very left, above. I sensed his South American Spanish accent so I started speaking Spanish with him. Getting 30 seconds into the conversation made me realize my vocabulary wasn’t equipped at all to talk about climate change. Nonetheless, it was nice to chat for a little bit and meet some nice people.

People protesting at the global climate strike in Portland, OR on 09/20/19

After photographing this scene above, I briefly made eye contact and exchanged a quick smile with the girl holding the sign that reads “The World Is On Fucking Fire.” In a sea of people, there were countless little personal interactions that made me feel like I’m not the only one who feels this way.

March Across the Hawthorne Bridge

Standing around for a couple hours got people amped up and ready to march. At noon, everyone in the plaza spilled onto Madison street started slowly making their way to the Hawthorne bridge.

Just as we were about to cross the Bridge, protesters were met with cars trying to make their way into downtown Portland. Traffic was pretty much at a standstill though. Feeling the strength of the group at my back, I decided to just start photographing drivers idling in their cars. It seemed like the thing to do.

I found myself staring at this man (below) through my camera:

Man sitting in traffic during the global climate strike in Portland, OR on 09/20/19

After taking this photo, I struck up a little conversation that went something like this:

  • Me: “Sir, get out of your car and join us!!”
  • Man: “I’m already 30 minutes late for my meeting.”
  • Me: “There aren’t going to be any more meetings if we don’t do something about climate change!!”
  • Man: (Grumbling)
  • Me: “Thanks for the photo, sir.”

Quite a profound conversation. Bringing up the fact that you’re 30 minutes late for a business meeting is pretty much a microcosm for the world’s attitude towards climate change. “Can’t you see I’m busy making money?”

So we kept marching.

My partner at the global climate strike in Portland, OR on 09/20/19

My beautiful partner (above), leading the way as always.

Selfie with a police officer at the global climate strike in Portland, OR on 09/20/19

I asked a police officer if I could take his photo, and he immediately said, “Why not a selfie?” I was thinking, “How am I going to do that with a film camera?” A little blurry, but still good.

Here’s a couple more photos while marching on the bridge. I love all the colors in these two:

People protesting at the global climate strike in Portland, OR on 09/20/19 People protesting at the global climate strike in Portland, OR on 09/20/19

Now What?

At the end of the march, people dispersed and made their way back to their day. Back to business as usual. Time to kick back with a nice Manhattan and check the old stock prices, AM I RIGHT?

I don’t think you can experience this energy and pretend things are going to be the same. Things have been slowly building over the last year with these students. Hopefully, this was a societal tipping point. The whole world is now aware that there’s a lot of young people all over the world who aren’t buying what governments and corporations are trying to sell.

Honestly, I feel better about things after going to this strike. In the past few years, I’ve tried to do all I can personally about climate change, but deep down, I’ve felt despair. I’ve known that abstaining from plastic straws and not owning a car is fine, but it isn’t going to solve the problem we’re all in. Despair is just another form of denial. It helps to surround yourself with people who care about this issue. It helps to externalize it. Sometimes you just have to go outside and yell at the top of your lungs. I feel like if we can hold on to that openness and empathy, things might actually change for the better in the long run. Thanks students.

-Chris