By Katie Stobbart (Contributor) – Email
Date Posted: October 5, 2011
Print Edition: September 28, 2011
“100 Thousand Poets for Change” is a global event which took place on Saturday, September 24. Nearly a hundred people from the Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver gathered at the Reach Gallery and Museum in Abbotsford to hear more than a dozen poets, musicians, and speakers from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. The theme chosen for Abbotsford’s gathering was ecology, and the entire event was streamed live online to YouTube.
Sumas elder Ray Silver, Sr. warmly welcomed everyone to the event. “This territory is our territory — belongs to us all,” he said. “I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart…I open my hands to you.”
Over the course of the afternoon, we heard detailed accounts of local environmental issues such as gravel mining at Lake Eroc, free-range farming, the threat of incinerators, and the privatization of water. Regina Dalton urged a receptive audience to keep water a publicly owned and controlled resource, stressing the value of the “blue gold.” Kat Wahamaa spoke and sang about her concerns regarding water and gravel mining which literally takes place in her backyard.
One poet, Deborah Kelly, read a poem called “Eulogy for Mother Earth,” in which she compared the crimes humanity has committed against the Earth to rape, dismemberment, and murder.
After a five-minute intermission, there was a performance by local musician Willis Taylor and a reading by John Vissor, followed by City Councillor Patricia Ross, who appealed to listeners to speak up to governments and corporations. “Silence is interpreted as acceptance,” she explained. “Corporations count on individuals getting frustrated and tired and giving up.”
We also heard from writers and community advocates Lynn Perrin, Paul Falardeau, Robert Martens, Shelley Haggard, Braeden Sawatsky and Daan van der Kroon.
Ray Silver, Sr. was invited back to the podium, and expressed his gratitude and relief that so many other people truly cared about environmental issues the way that he did. “I remember,” he shared, “the Fraser River when it was clean. I look at it today and it just makes me sick.” There was sadness in his voice as he continued. “I feel so bad when I look at children… they will never see this country as I saw it.”
The program concluded with a reading by Trevor Carolan, who spoke about a writer’s responsibility and the role of contemporary poets and creative people.
A local poet, Terry Broadworth, shared two eco-themed poems at the open mic, and summed up the event warmly: “I look around this room, and I am surrounded by friends, and I am home.”
In the future, it would be encouraging to see more events of this nature, but perhaps over the course of more than one event. A series, for example, or an event split up over the course of the day with a lunch break in between might be an effective way to avoid running over the scheduled event time (by about an hour in this case). Overall, however, the event succeeded in uniting many community members and writers under a common banner of environmental concern.
