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Right2Know March Ends in Washington DC and Marks the Official Beginning of a Big Movement
Over the last few weeks, a group of about 50 people walked from New York City to Washington demanding that our government label genetically-modified food.
Throughout the march, many other people joined at different stages/cities and yesterday culminated in an official protest just steps outside of the White House.
Many luminaries and well-known voices in the organic movement were in Washington for the finale including Maria Rodale, whose grandfather, J.I. Rodale, started the organic movement in the U.S. in the 1940s, and Vandana Shiva (below), one of the world’s leading environmentalists and an absolute hero in India.
While not everyone in the country was able to participate in the Right2Know March, this protest was significant several reasons.
1) It brought a lot of attention to this very important issue.
Throughout the last few weeks, I have been reading about the Right2Know March in many different media outlets.
Furthermore, the marchers told me stories about how they walked through impoverished areas of Philadelphia and Newark, NJ and educated so many people about GMOs who had never even heard of them before. And once these individuals were informed about GMOs, they immediately understood the gravity of the situation and the need to get involved.
2) It brought together many groups within the organic world.
Unfortunately, many non-profits and companies in the organic industry work independently of each other, have their own agendas, and are often sparring with one another.
However, the Right2Know March seemed to unite most of these organizations for a singular cause with a clear mission.
3) Obama took notice.
The march yesterday took place in Washington DC right behind the White House. While there were not hundreds of thousands of people protesting, our movement made a statement and he surely knew what was going on.
This, in itself, was significant, especially because he knows that he has failed the organic industry by not fulfilling his promise to label GMOs.
4) The Right2Know March coincided with the official petition to the FDA demanding that it label GMOs.
As I wrote about recently, the petition is an official document that the FDA cannot ignore, must respond to and lays out the case as to why GMOs must be labeled.
On one hand, our government gives patents to GM-crops and deems them to be unique and different. On the other hand, our government says there is no meaningful difference between GM-crops and Non-GM-crops. How does this make any sense?
It doesn’t.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Now that the official Right2Know March is over, there is still plenty for us to do.
As Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of The Center for Food Safety, mentioned the other day, we need 1 to 4 million people to electronically demand that the FDA label GMOs.
1) Please click HERE to electronically vote/comment.
2) Please forward this post around to as many people as you can. It is essential that everyone comments and is educated about the health risks of GMOs.
