On the 29th of October in 1941, Winston Churchill stood in front of the graduating class of Harrow School. While his speech lasted twenty minutes, most of it has been forgotten. However, one line still echoes through the locker rooms of great teams and the classrooms of passionate teachers. The line is “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”

While he is addressing a relatively small group of students in this quote, the lesson he is trying to impart applies to everyone. We must never surrender. I believe this lesson is one of the most important lessons anyone can learn. I chose this quote because it teaches two important lessons.

Youth climate activists striking in San Rafael, California for a demonstration. December 6, 2019

Source: Fabrice Florin

The first lesson is fairly obvious: never give in. Churchill was reminding himself that even though Britain had been destroyed during World War II, he must never give in and neither should the students. He wasn’t asking for them to win or defeat the Germans. He was just asking them to never give in and to keep fighting. In issues great and small, one should never give in.

Churchill’s second lesson is to look towards common sense and conviction of honor. This means to keep fighting unless what you are fighting for is illogical or fighting removes you from honor.

You’re probably wondering, why would I reference a speech from over 70 years ago when talking about Earth Day? The answer is that now more than ever, this lesson still applies to us.

We are not facing the same threats Churchill and the students were facing 75 years ago during WWII; we are facing something even more deadly and destructive. We are facing the existential threat of climate change.

In this current time of COVID-19, most of you have ignored the threats of climate change. However, studies show that as climate change gets worse, diseases will become more deadly.

Source: The White House

U.S. Public Health Service delivers comments at the Coronavirus White House press briefing

While you should definitely be worried about COVID-19, we can’t give in to fear of it and lose focus on the looming threat of climate change. We must not give up now or ever. We have to adapt to the new challenges we are facing with COVID-19 and rise above them. If we give up, fossil fuel companies win. If we give up, we give up on ourselves and on our future, and the future generations.

I want to remind you of the second lesson in Churchill’s speech. “Never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”. The lesson here is to not get arrogant and put your own feelings in front of common sense. It is truly illogical at this moment to deny climate change, but it is even worse to accept its existence and remain complacent while our future deteriorates.

We must stay true to honor. To me, honor is when we care for others and ourselves. Honor is not turning your back on humanity by putting profit over people. You lose all honor when you abandon common decency and care for others.

This is why I still fight and why I am going on strike on Earth Day. Acknowledging the threat of COVID-19, the strike will be digital, but we will not be deterred. We will keep fighting for justice and we need you to join us. I want all of you, no matter your political beliefs, to follow common sense and join the fight for environmental justice; your honor is on the line.

During the same speech, Churchill also said, “Do not let us speak of darker days: let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days – the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race”.

Yes, we seem to be in dark days, but I see light burning in everyone’s eyes, and it gives me hope. I know that these days are not dark. These days are full of brightness. Today and every day I have lived, I see greatness. I know we are suffering, some more than others. Our task is to try to alleviate that suffering. For some people, the most they can do is not give up and hope for a better tomorrow. For others, this moment of suffering presents a golden opportunity to realize that today is the day to act. Today is the day you’ll tell your grandchildren about. I am talking to those who can fight, and I am telling you to fight for what is right. Fight for your honor and fight for those who cannot afford to fight.

When our future generations read their history books, what side will they see you on?



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