The flowers are blooming (about a month early), the bees have returned, and across the nation, activists are preparing for an action-filled Spring. Last weekend, over 1,000 organizers and community leaders gathered in 19 cities around the country to train in Nonviolent Direct Action for the 99% Spring. They, in turn, will be delivering these NVDA trainings to their communities in April, with a goal of training 100,000 activists to take action for economic, social and climate justice!

In Charlotte, we welcomed 60 trainees with backgrounds in labor, politics, and of course, climate, to learn and play with us over the weekend before getting serious about actions in their hometowns. Students brainstormed how to get their University to move its money to local credit unions, community organizers discussed how to fight foreclosures, and climatistas weighed the many villains responsible for the climate crisis. 

The excitement in the room seemed to center on one resolve: now is the time to act. Our climate is at a tipping point — one of the most important tipping points in human history. Yet our leaders don’t want to even acknowledge there’s a problem! What actions can we take that compare to the gravity of the problems we face? We must be creative, strategic, nonviolent and BOLD.

And by “we,” I hope I mean you. 

To sign up for a 99% Spring Training, search for trainings in your area here.

Let the 99% Spring of action begin!