This column is adapted from a speech that Chapman-Edwards gave during a sit-in organized by the Sunrise Movement at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Democratic National Committee. While several TV networks plan to hold town hall-style events to discuss climate change with 2020 presidential hopefuls, the DNC has thus far resisted calls to hold a climate-focused debate.
My name is Havana Chapman-Edwards. I am only 8 years old, so I am used to grown-ups underestimating me. And right now, grown-ups are underestimating the climate crisis, too. Some of the most powerful ones in the country only spent twelve minutes at the Detroit debates last week talking about the biggest threat facing young people like me worldwide.
Since I was born, I have moved all over the world. From Cairo, Egypt, to San Diego, California, I have met amazing and beautiful people and seen the Pacific Ocean, the Sahara Desert, and the pyramids. These places are magical just like in the books we read.
Because I have been there in person, I know that girls who live in Ghana, in California, in Flint, and right here in D.C., especially brown and black girls, are hurting because of climate... Read more