by Samson Tamijani
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Fayetteville town square held not one but two climate change awareness strikes last week, inspired by efforts of 16-year old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. But most may not know the coordinator of Fayetteville’s events was local high school student Amelia Southern.
Southern is the same age as Thunberg and is heavily involved in environmental organizations like Fayetteville High School’s Green Team club and the Arkansas wing of international youth activism group Climate Zero Hour.
“What we are here for is fighting for a better future, fighting for our future overall,” Southern said.
The goal of the strikes is to prompt lawmakers to drastically change environmental laws, Southern said.
Trained at a summer conference in Miami hosted by Climate Zero Hour, Southern said she knew she could build a presence for young people like her to follow the lead of youth leaders all over the world. “I helped coordinate and gave a youth perspective (for the Fayetteville strikes),” Southern said.
Southern said there’s a greater need for students in the south to be involved in climate awareness. “On college applications we keep getting asked what we want to major in, what we want to study, what we want to be,” Southern said. “We’re applying for that future that we’re not even sure is going to happen.”
Southern’s mother Lia Uribe, a UA music department associate professor, said college students can resonate with her daughter’s message.
“(It’s) the action that is needed,” Uribe said. “For them to be involved in the democratic process, in which (they) are doing something really legitimate for their opinions, their ideas, and their futures.”
Southern said upon graduating from FHS in 2021 she wants to major in journalism at University of Arkansas to cover issues like climate awareness.