Students from Chatham University joined members of the Pittsburgh community on Friday Sept. 20 in front of the Pittsburgh City County building to protest climate change as part of the global climate strikes that took place in cities worldwide.

Speakers from NextGen Pennsylvania spoke out against companies that practice fracking such as EQT, a company based in Pittsburgh.

Protesters gathered in front of the City County building in downtown Pittsburgh holding signs while participating in chants. They also listened to speeches and songs presented by NexGen Pennsylvania, a branch of the national activist group NexGen America.

Among the protesters, members of Chatham Student Power, Chatham Green Team and students from politics and government classes joined in the worldwide strike.

“Climate change and environmental justice affects everyone’s life,” says Zoe Levine ’21, leader of Student Power. “Both of these are the pillars of what Student Power believes in.”

Levine and other Student Power officers worked with the Green Team to spread the news of the strike and aided students in getting to its launch site.

Protesters marched to EQT’s headquarters and gathered in front while yelling phrases such as, “EQT you can’t hide. We can see your greedy side,” “Hey hey ho ho, climate change has got to go,” and “The people united will never be defeated.”

After marching a little more than a mile, participants returned to the City County building and proceeded to chant and make speeches until the crowd dispersed at 4 p.m.

“It’s our generation’s responsibility to be aware about [climate change] and use our voices to make our officials aware of the issue,” Levine says.

For more information about upcoming strikes or events, students can visit the Chatham Student Power Facebook and Instagram pages @ChathamCSP. Also look at local news stations and advertisements posted around campus and the city.