The Path Of Protest
Carrying a handmade sign, I walk a 7-circuit labyrinth made of orange cotton cord. My daughter, camera in hand, sits outside the labyrinth and documents my journey. While more than four million people around the world, many of them youth, held a climate strike on September 20th, 2019, I participated in a local protest with like-minded people. But today, during the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit, I bear witness from afar while making my way through this labyrinth, a Hopi symbol of Mother Earth. Walking the winding path, I stand with and within Earth.
To protest or demonstrate is to publicly object to something you disagree with or disapprove of in an effort to persuade others or influence the government. Citizens have a right and an obligation to rise up and stand on behalf of the common good, making their voices heard through civil resistance.
On several occasions in recent years, my husband and I have built rope labyrinths for protests and demonstrations, including three Women’s Marches, an Earth Hour event, and a People’s Climate Festival and March. Each labyrinth design was symbolic in its own way.
For the Women’s March in 2017, we created a labyrinth in the shape of the female symbol. Not only did it represent the power of women, but it stood for feminine qualities of leadership, such as solidarity, compassion, collaboration, and love. These qualities can be expressed by people of all genders.
For the Women’s March in 2018, following a politically discouraging and hate-filled year, we built a heart-shaped labyrinth to represent the path of love.
We created a triple spiral labyrinth for the Women’s March in 2019. A spiral can symbolize many things, such as spirit, healing, and change.
Earth Hour 2017 was an evening gathering. The 7-circuit labyrinth we built for this event was illumined by candlelight when everyone present observed an hour without electricity.
We created a turtle labyrinth for the People’s Climate Festival and March in 2017 to represent Turtle Island, the Native American name for North America. Indigenous lore tells us of Turtle’s sacrifice in order to sustain all life on the continent.
As I journeyed through each of these labyrinths, I walked with sacred intention, hoping to honor and embody the spirit of each design and making a statement that conveys my ideals, values, and convictions.
As a path of meditation or prayer, a labyrinth provides an opportunity for peaceful demonstration as well as a way of personal and political transformation. Today, I walk in solidarity and in awe of young people all over our planet who rise up in protest to save our only home, Earth.
For all that is,
