This weekend as President Donald Trump celebrated his 100th day in office, more than 200,000 showed up to the People’s Climate March in Washington D.C. to protest his administration’s dangerous environmental policies. In sweltering 90-degree weather, protestors marched along Pennsylvania Avenue, until eventually surrounding the White House complex, according to NBC. This event brought together activists, Native Americans, scientists, and celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, who met with indigenous groups before the event.
According to Ronald Suarez – a member of the Peruvian Amazonian indigenous group Shipibo-Konibo-Xetebo who walked near Leo at the march – the Oscar-winning actor met with him in private. “How great to meet someone who’s so committed in the face of climate change,” he said. “Thank you very much Leonardo DiCaprio.”
Though DiCaprio didn’t write about meeting with Ronald, he did fire off a tweet explaining that he met with indigenous groups before the march. He also tweeted that the march left him “inspired and hopeful for our future. We must continue to work together and fight for #climatejustice.”
Days before the march, the Oscar-winning actor – who’s openly critiqued climate change deniers and has called for changes to protect the environment – used his platform to encourage others to attend the march. The Atlantic reports that the march ended up drawing large crowds because it didn’t outline an ideal policy. Instead, it encouraged people to come to fight for the issues they most care about, which means that labor unions, indigenous justice groups, and other organizers felt welcomed to march.
In the first 100 days, Trump – who has surrounded himself with climate change deniers – has put clean water at risk, removed references to climate change, and has proposed slashing the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by as much as 30 percent. As organizers for the march wrote on the People’s Climate Movement website, Saturday’s event is just a starting off point: “And now, together, we will chart another path for America: away from Trump’s agenda for a cruel, polluted and divided country, and towards a clean energy economy that works for everyone.”