My great grandmother, June Johnson, salmon fishing July 1957
Climate change shakes the foundation of my family’s heritage and source of income. I am the daughter of a fourth generation commercial fisherman and I too, want to harvest food from the ocean and live as my relatives have before me. I take pride in my heritage; I come from a line of sturdy Swedish immigrants. I have a strong connection to the Washington coast and rural fishing towns. Rising sea levels and ocean acidification threaten the continuity of this lifestyle. I plan to work throughout my life to mitigate and adapt to this phenomena, I feel it is my calling. I relate to and interact with climate change on a personal level and within intellectual collegiate and political spheres. I organize climate forums in Olympia and round up people to speak at hearings against coal and oil terminals. I continuously question structure and agency in taking climate action, with what means can I make the greatest impact? Is this the most inclusive, diverse, and accessible way to go about taking climate action? My saying for working around climate issues is to first know your privilege and history, then find a motivator; to be inactive on this issue is complacent.
By the way, welcome to Olympia.