DOWNTOWN — After receiving a parade permit from City Hall, March for Science organizers announced a route for the big anti-Trump protest planned later this month.
The protest will start at 10 a.m. on Earth Day April 22 with a rally in Grant Park before moving through the park to the south lawn of the Field Museum, where an hours-long "science expo" allowing local scientists to showcase their work will begin.
The rally near Jackson and Columbus drives will feature four speakers who have yet to be announced.
“The march is not only a moment but a movement beyond April 22nd," Adam Arcus, a Chicago march organizer, said in a statement. "We believe science is the beating heart of the city with broad shoulders, and want Chicago to become known not just as The Second City, but The Science City."
The parade route. [Facebook/March for Science Chicago]
Thousands of people have RSVPed to the parade on Facebook. The protest is one of many across the nation in response to President Donald Trump's environmental policies.
Trump denied the notion of man-made climate change as a presidential candidate, and has appointed people connected to the fossil fuel industry to top cabinet posts as president. He is pushing forward on the controversial Dakota Access and Keystone oil pipelines, and notoriously ordered national parks to stop tweeting after the National Park Service retweeted side-by-side photos comparing Trump's inauguration turnout to President Barack Obama's in 2009. Trump has since donated the presidential salary he's made thus far to the National Park Service.
The organizers published the parade route after getting a permit from the city. The Field Museum of Natural History, which produced a "facts matter" video less than a month after Trump's inauguration, has also thrown its support behind the cause.
“The Field Museum’s mission is to fuel a journey of discovery to enable solutions for a brighter future. The March for Science closely aligns with this mission," Richard Lariviere, the Field's president, said in a statement. "By marching for science, we’re supporting curiosity and the pursuit of facts that enable us all to better appreciate our world and make it a place where we can live rich, healthy lives.”
The Lincoln Park Zoo will also participate in the parade, officials announced Wednesday.
“Whether it’s using scientific methods to measure the welfare of the animals in our care, ensuring the long-term viability of the eastern massasauga rattlesnake in Illinois, or helping to develop sustainable logging practices to protect chimpanzee and gorilla populations in the Republic of Congo, science is at the center of everything that we do at Lincoln Park Zoo,” said Lisa Faust, vice president of conservation and science at the zoo.
The march for science will step off a week after a similar protest calling for Trump to release his tax returns. Organizers of the tax day protest say they are still negotiating permits with city officials.
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