At Michigan Earth Day Celebration, Chair Deatrick Speaks on Clean, Reliable Affordable Energy as a Human Right
Over a dozen regional organizations co-sponsored an Earth Day event hosted by Ann Arbor for Public Power, which advocates for a 100% renewable, public-owned electric utility, On April 26, 2025, Chair Deatrick attended Ann Arbor for Public Power’s People Have the Power: A Green Future is Yours to Build event as a featured speaker.
Deatrick’s remarks, in part:
“We have power. We have a voice. And I truly believe that we are the majority. And we are turning the tide. Slowly. Certainly slower than we’d all like. But we are turning the tide.
Look at the most recent election results. We won a massive victory in Wisconsin, where Susan Crawford won state Supreme Court against a candidate backed by fossil fuel interests. And while we didn’t win in Florida we closed the margins to a point that a message was sent to every Republican: That if you blindly go along with Trump and Musk and the powers of corporations that destroy our country you will face political peril.
And then millions of us took to the streets in hands off events. It gives me hope. And makes me believe that we will continue to fight. We will work to protect federal workers. We will work to protect the vital agencies that keep us healthy and safe and that protect our planet. And we will continue to work for public power and to address the worsening climate crisis.
Because we must never back down on working against want-to-be dictators and unelected billionaires. Affordable, clean, reliable energy is a human right. And fighting the forces which work against that right is part of the fight against cutting Medicaid, Social Security, SNAP, part of the fight against the firing of tens of thousands of federal workers.”
Chair Deatrick spoke alongside UM SEAS Lecturer and Inaugural Director of the Tishman Center Michelle Martinez, ACLU Undergraduate Chapter at U-M member Hannah Baker, and Washtenaw County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi. The event’s keynote address was delivered by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, former city and county public health official, host of the America Dissected podcast and author of Healing Politics & Medicare for All.
This Michigan Earth Day event was co-sponsored by over a dozen regional environmental and justice organizations.
For more information about Ann Arbor for Public Power, visit their website: AnnArborPublicPower.org.