PHOTO BY ROBIN LOZNAK
Exclaiming
Environmental Excitement
Plaintiffs of a landmark environmental
lawsuit will take the stage for a spoken
word performance at OCF
by Meerah Powell
A
lthough it takes place near Veneta, Oregon Country
Fair is inherently a very Eugene thing: weird, wacky,
peaceful and creative — all descriptors Eugene,
and its residents, hold dear. Also, like Eugene, it’s
environmentally conscious. This year Fair again
combines its artistic endeavors with its environmental ones in a
spoken word performance by Our Children’s Trust.
OCT is a local nonprofit focused on uplifting young voices
speaking out about climate change. Most notably, it’s providing
legal counsel, support and guidance for the upcoming Juliana v.
U.S. court case — also known as “Youth v. Gov” — where 21
young people are suing the federal government over the impacts
of climate change on younger generations. That trial begins Oct.
29 in Eugene.
UO student Kelsey Juliana is the main plaintiff in the case; she
will be apart of the spoken word performance at Oregon Country
Fair.
Juliana says the group is excited to be speaking at Fair. The youth
plaintiffs that make up the federal court case consist of children,
teens and young adults from Eugene, and the wider Oregon area, as
well as from across the country. Juliana says some of the plaintiffs
are coming to town for Fair from as far as Louisiana.
“We’ll have about six plaintiffs there,” Juliana says, “as well
as one staff member from OCT to talk about what we’re doing.”
Spanning three days, Fair’s spoken word lineup is jam-packed
and covers a range of sub-genres — from poetry slams to lectures.
Juliana says OCT’s speakers will offer a mixture of styles.
“It will be more of a personalized storytelling approach,”
Juliana says. “We will be focusing a little bit less on the legality
of the case, and more on telling the personal stories of why we’re
here.”
Along with just speaking on the experiences that have inspired
them to fight against climate change, she says, “at least two of the
plaintiffs will also give musical presentations.”
Though the trial itself does not start until October, plaintiffs are
in the midst of preparing for their oral arguments — a hearing in
which both the plaintiffs and defendants present their arguments.
She says those oral arguments are taking place at the Wayne L.
Morse Federal Courthouse at 2 pm on July 18, just a few days after
the spoken word act at Fair, and the public is invited to come and
offer support. There will be a rally 1 pm before the oral arguments,
outside of the courthouse, and a press conference 3 pm after.
“The main point of this is we want to give an inside look as who
we are as individual plaintiffs and also psych people up for our oral
arguments,” Juliana says.
OCT wants people to get interested in their case and hope they
not only join them at the rally but also when the trail begins in
October, she adds.
As for Juliana, who is from Eugene, she says she’s been going
to Fair since she was a baby. “I go every year,” she says. “Next year
my dad will actually be an elder of the Fair.”
Juliana also says her family is a part of the Green Earth booth,
an informational booth about local environmental nonprofits —
another good spot to check out for those looking to further pursue
any environmental curiosity that may have been sparked at the Fair.
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Catch Our Children’s Trust’s spoken word performance 2:30 pm Sunday, July 15, at The
Front Porch.
eugeneweekly.com • July 12, 2018
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