By Rebecca Dickman
OTE Assistant Editor
Nov. 16, 2021
About 45 students, faculty, and staff rallied on Oct. 28 at the corner of Monroe Street and Edgewood College Drive to protest Line 3, a proposed oil pipeline expansion.
This student-organized protest was held in solidarity with the Bloomington Antiracist Coalition, an activist group in Minnesota. Edgewood’s representatives joined a national effort that called for student walkouts at 1 p.m. in protest of Line 3.
Led by Edgewood students Abbey Brooks and Sam Guiere, walk-out coordinators, protesters held signs and chanted call-and-response demands for an end to Line 3.
Edgewood students, faculty, and staff were present as well as students from the University of Wisconsin—Madison (UW).
Attendee Ashley Cheung, a UW student, said that protests like this are good ways to build community among college campuses in Madison.
“Showing up at these protests is a good opportunity to build solidarity with the different communities against Line 3,” said Cheung.
Protestors then walked to Anderson Auditorium where videos and speeches calling for anti-racism and climate justice were held.
The first of two videos, made by Guiere, showed scenes from the 2016 Standing Rock protests, which opposed the Dakota Access Pipeline, as well as the Line 3 Pipeline protests in Minnesota.
Guiere, an Edgewood sophomore, spoke about his time at the Standing Rock protest when he was 15 years old.
“What we just did out there is just a small portion about what water defending is all about,” said Guiere. “At Standing Rock… we were cold, we were tired, but we kept pursuing this goal… of stopping big oil companies that would rather see profit than honor the people whose land they were on.”
The second video shared testimonies of water protectors, including indigenous peoples and allies from across the country. Those in the video said that Line 3 would pollute waterways, calling for viewers to remember that “(a)ll of us as human beings need to consume water, no matter where we come from.”
This video, put together by Guiere, said it took roughly two weeks to assemble and would be shown at future protests across the country.
Organizers and a faculty member also gave speeches. Audience members were given an open-mic opportunity to show their support.
Brooks, a sophomore student at Edgewood, and Geoffery Adlesberg, a Philosophy professor, shared with the crowd actions they take as Water Protectors and Allies of Indigenous peoples.
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