Cleveland Tree March: Plant trees, not war.
The Cleveland Tree March (a half-mile walk) will step off from the Langston Hughes Branch of the Cleveland Public Library (10200 Superior Ave) at 10am on Saturday, April 11. The public is welcome to join us.
The march, sponsored by the Cleveland Nonviolence Network, is inspired by women in Kenya who planted trees in eastern rural Africa to counter deforestation—a major threat to subsistence farming. Wangari Maathai, one of the leaders and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, broadened her work to foster peace and democracy in Africa, igniting a grassroots movement focused on environmental conservation and women's rights. The Green Belt Movement spread across the continent, resulting in the planting of over 30 million trees.
Goal: At least 200 marchers will carry tree saplings to Brookdale Orchard*, with at least 100 committed to planting, nurturing, and reporting on the well-being of their adopted saplings. Marchers might plant the trees at their homes, at their place of worship, at their community garden, or other public space with permission.
*southwest of the starting point at the library, the urban orchard is bounded by E 86th, E 88th, Brookdale Court and Wade Park Ave. Rain location for the ending point is St Matthew United Methodist Church, 8601 Wade Park Ave., Cleveland 44106
Why a tree march? Our country and planet are facing dire challenges. As we mark the anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (April 4, 1968), we are reminded of the “triplets of evil” that he so aptly identified: racism, poverty, and war. Today, the successors of MLK’s campaigns to overcome these entrenched systems of injustice have rightfully added ecological destruction to the list. As we approach Tax Day (April 15), we admit our complicity in supporting the $1.5 trillion US war budget that fuels the US military—the largest institutional emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet. MLK warned that our nation—spending many times more on the military than on programs of social uplift—is approaching spiritual death.
Planting a tree is an act of hope. With each step forward on April 11, we’ll say YES to life and NO to death. YES to trees and NO to war. With our trees we are investing in a future liberated from the evils of racism, extreme materialism, militarism, and environmental degradation. We are taking a concrete step toward climate restoration. We are planting our vision for the future.
Organizer: Cleveland Nonviolence Network. Co-sponsors to date include: Brookdale Orchard, Carl Stokes Brigade, Cleveland Peace Action, Creation Care Team of St Patrick Parish with St Malachi Oratory, East Side Creation Care Alliance, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Northeast Ohio Community Resilience Centre, Northeast Ohio Sierra Club, St. Matthew United Methodist Church, West Side Creation Care Team
