ATHENS – On Tuesday, March 21, an Athens-based chapter of a statewide activist group has planned a rally at the public plaza of the Athens County Courthouse, as part of a national day of action organized by Third Act and Third Act Ohio, to “call out” banks for their funding of fossil fuels.
The Athens event, scheduled for 4–5:15 p.m., is one of over 95 planned events nationwide, and one of four in Ohio (including Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus).
According to a news release from Third Act Ohio–Athens, over 18,000 people nationwide have pledged to cut up their bank-connected credit cards and end their business with the banks Chase, Bank of America, Citibank and Wells Fargo commit to ending their funding of fossil fuel expansion.
In Athens, according to the release, a group of “elders” visited the uptown Chase Bank in late February carrying four file boxes representing these tens of thousands of pledges. The four women explained to bank personnel why these thousands of people have committed to ending their business with Chase and the other banks. The actual pledges were delivered that week by Vermont Third Actors, including Bill McKibben, a co-founder of Third Act, at Chase’s Burlington branch.
Third Act formed in 2021 to engage people over 60, “experienced Americans,” and their friends to work together to protect climate and democracy. Third Act Ohio formed in 2022 and has so far had bank actions in Cleveland, Columbus, and Athens.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.