Thirty-some people, ages 14 to 84, stand in front of their computers, waving their arms like a windmill during a “climate calisthenics” exercise, as the facilitator described it. They move their bodies, some awkwardly, others with enthusiasm, and look at the grid of people stacked on top of each other on the screen to see how others are doing it. One man in a red shirt waves each arm independently on each side so fast I worry about him dislocating his shoulders. A teenager in a room lit only by some disco lights has a different method: He draws circles above his head with both arms moving in unison, kind of like an inflatable puppet version of a windmill. After enough waving, everyone stretches their arms out, in a gesture of welcoming others to the climate movement.
This warm-up was part of day two of Sunrise School, an initiative started by the Sunrise Movement to build the skills and power needed to confront the crises we currently face: COVID-19 and climate change. As the first stay-at-home orders unfolded across the world, the news became overwhelming, and I didn’t know what to focus on among the rising number of deaths due to COVID-19, millions of people losing their jobs (and health insurance), and the corporate bailouts that seemed to cater directly to the fossil fuel industry. I had so many questions: What could I do? Where should I focus my attention? What are others doing? Will people still care about climate change? So when I learned about Sunrise School, I joined hoping I’d find answers, at least about what others were doing. I also found levity, community and new energy to act.
During school, I spent one hour each evening for four days talking to people who shared my concerns and who were deeply committed to building a better future for all. We listened to music at the start of each class (“How Soon Is Now?” by The Smiths was playing one day as we waited for others to join the call). We discussed the need to go beyond party lines. We practiced making phone calls to invite friends into the climate movement. We learned how to answer critics who say strong climate plans like the Green New Deal cost too much (really, the devastation from climate change will cost us considerably more), and shared personal stories about how the climate crisis has impacted each of us. At the end, we drew graduation hats on pieces of paper, placed them each on our heads and then threw them in the air in unison to the beat of “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang.
