John Mark Rozendaal

“I’m in this struggle for liberation for the planet, for people, and for other living beings because I can’t be anywhere else.”

“I can see the forces of greed and how their violence is poisoning and burning the life of this planet, our only home. I can’t unsee it. I can’t look away. I can’t not fight it. And I’m grateful every minute of my life to be in a community of people who are fully dedicated to fighting for life together.”

Photographer: Luigi Morris

John Mark Rozendaal is a human being, a climate justice activist, and a “professional” classical musician.

In 2022 John Mark began a vocational transformation, spending fewer and fewer hours playing Renaissance and Baroque music on the ‘cello; and more and more hours organizing and taking action for climate justice and human liberation.

In the past year John Mark has organized and participated in headline-grabbing nonviolent direct actions including disruptions of a Metropolitan Opera performance and the Easter Vigil at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. During the 2024 Summer of Heat Campaign, John Mark was arrested, along with fourteen supporters, while playing his ‘cello outside Citibank Headquarters, for allegedly violating an unconstitutional Order of Protection. John Mark has taken on several coordinator roles with Extinction Rebellion NYC.