On Saturday, June 4th over 40 environmental justice organizers, members of the Moving Forward Network took to the water to demand that the Biden Administration and global leaders in attendance for the Summit of the Americas hear a clear message from our communities: ¡Cero Emisiones Ahora! (Zero Emissions Now!). 

Photo by Angela Mooney D'Arcy

These Kayaktivists came from across the country to take to the water at the San Pedro Bay, near the Ports of LA. After forming a giant kayak raft, they raised banners and chanted in English and Spanish. The flotilla was followed by a bold deployment of a 120' floating banner with 8' letters inside terminal J. 

This may be the first time in the US that a Kayak Flotilla was nearly 100% Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), conquering the stereotype of majority White kayaktivism. The Long Beach action was preceded by a weekend Kayaktivism training on Vashon Island in May, facilitated by Backbone Campaign. We at Backbone are extremely proud to have partnered with these brave Environmental Justice organizers and MFN to make this possible. 

For more pictures, check out the Flickr Album.

Many thanks to the artful activism team that created banners for deployment, including a 120 foot long banner on the water. Special thanks to Jeff Dunnicliff, Laura Daughenbaugh, Alison Penny, Dana Schuerholz, Jeff Snyder, Jim Chambers, Scout, Gedden and Aziza Edelman-Moyer for their help on land and on the water. 

#PollutionFromthePortsIsDeadly

#ZeroMustMeanZero