All social change begins with people, and people on our campus want change.
The WCU chapter of the Sunrise Movement held their first meeting in Hunter Library on Wednesday, Nov. 10.
Six students gathered to join a nation-wide movement fighting back against climate change. Together, they watched a video about the Sunrise Movement, discussed their experiences and anxieties about climate change and planned for future action. The new group (referred to as a “hub”) was organized by Fine Arts student, Eli Horne. After reading the U.N.’s report on climate change, they decided to do something.
“The reason I wanted to get this set up on campus,” Horne said. “One, I’m angry. Two, I’m terrified. I guess they go hand in hand.”
While the meeting mainly involved gauging interest and commitment, Horne emphasized that the group would focus on more than discussion and theorizing.
“This meeting is about action,” they said.
This message appealed to several attendees, who voiced growing hopelessness in the face of natural disasters and political inaction.
“Sometimes you sit there and you’re like ‘I don’t even know what I could do,’” student Morgan McNamara said. “Especially when I’m alone.”
The group’s immediate goal is gathering more members, finding a faculty advisor and obtaining a stipend from the Sunrise Movement. Horne wants new members to bring their concerns and ideas to expand the group’s range to issues not obviously related to climate change.
Afterwards, they hope to work closely with other activist groups such as leftist student group ANSWER and students in the WCU Environmental Science program, as well as off-campus groups such as Sunrise’s Asheville hub. They plan to call attention to university contributions to the climate crisis, such as by giving money to companies that fund pipelines.
They also discussed productive uses of stipend money, such as helping students in the LGBTQ+ community whose parents have stopped supporting them.
“I think it’s really cool to have more diverse perspectives offered on campus because most student-led organizations lean to one side of the spectrum,” education student Knox Hambleton said. “I’m excited to see what the Sunrise Movement can do in Cullowhee.”
Horne and fellow leader Chelsea White-Hoglen were excited about the turnout. They had only advertised using sidewalk chalk and tabling by the fountain. While they expected only two students to show up, the actual turnout blew them away.
Of course, more members mean a larger impact on the community.
While the Cullowhee area is small and isolated, Horne believes there are plenty of issues to be addressed at the university and surrounding area. Two examples are the recent flooding in Haywood County and wildfires in Gatlinburg, TN.
“That was not just random…These things are the effects of climate change. We are feeling them now.”
Most importantly, national change can only happen if as many individuals as possible pitch in.
“Even if it’s just here, we can make a difference.”
The Sunrise Movement is a youth movement with over 400 hubs across the United States. Formed in April 2017, the group is focused on stopping climate chance and creating millions of jobs in the process. In October, Sunrise members held a hunger strike in Washington D.C. to demand Congress pass climate measures.
For information on the WCU chapter’s future meetings and getting involved, students can visit their Instagram page @sunrisewcu.
