Photo Blog by Adah Crandall, Oregon Fellow
As a young person, the climate crisis terrifies me. Much of the news we hear is centered on catastrophe, and it can be exhausting and disheartening to witness continued destruction without action. I have come to realize that to be effective organizers, we must learn to find joy and liberation in the work we are doing- fueling ourselves purely through fear is not sustainable. I struggle a lot with climate anxiety and hopelessness, especially in the cold and darkness of winter months when mass mobilizations and community events are more sparse. This series of photos, captured over the last 2.5 years, aims to highlight the radical joy, beauty, brightness, and community of climate justice organizing. It is a reminder to myself and to you, that even in the darkest-feeling times, we can hold tight the people, places, and little slices of light that inspire us and push us to continue fighting.
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- Matt Stevenson teaches about native plants at a Sunrise PDX Forest Defense outing. July 2022.
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- Oregon Representative Pham and Portland Commissioner Hardesty get ready to knock doors for their reelection campaigns. October 2022.
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- A young activist at a Youth Vs. ODOT rally. July 2021.
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- Screenprinting at the Portland Youth Climate Strike youth activism training. September 2022.
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- A honey bee visits flowers at Hoyt Arboretum. July 2022.
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- Spring wishes at a rally for transportation decarbonization. March 2022.
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- Student organizers lead a crowd in song. May 2022.
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- A Sunrise PDX activist resting between chants on the Portland Waterfront. March 2022
Adah Crandall is an Oregon fellow and a senior at Grant High School in Portland. Her climate advocacy began by opposing the expansion of the Interstate-5 freeway into her middle school, a project that if built would increase emissions and pollution. Since then, she has broadened her focus to fight for transportation and climate justice at a regional and state level, co-founding a Sunrise PDX campaign called Youth Vs ODOT. She is also a leader of Portland Youth Climate Strike, where she works to mobilize her peers for climate action.