Who Are We?

[The Sunrise Movement Sacramento logo: a yellow circle with the tower bridge horizontally across the top, and a sun in the center emanating yellow rays outwards towards the perimeter]

We are young people working together to build a better world. 

We are youth-led & envisioned. 

We are students, workers, caretakers, and occasionally elders pitching in. 

We are volunteers organizing against the climate crisis for the people & places we love. 

What do we do?

Whatever we're excited to— 

We make collective decisions. 

We do local work we care about as part of a national movement and the broader global struggle. 

We show up to support aligned partners. 

What have we done?

Lots of things since we were founded in Summer 2019, here are some areas. 

Organize around the City of Sac: Push for climate justice, renters & the City budget, oppose sweeps & SacPD. 

Build power across CA: Train new leaders with Sunrise CA, forced the CA Dem Party to stop taking fossil fuel $, support action @ the Capitol. 

Elections: Written local voter guides, made & supported local endorsements.

In 2021 we hosted a rally for Sunrise Movement | Generation on Fire. 

Video with open captions: "To fight for clean air, to fight for the water we drink, to fight for a Green New Deal". [Video depicts dozens of activists wearing face masks and yellow and black shirts, horizontally raising a giant banner occupying 10th street in front of the California State Capitol building. As someone is speaking, the camera pans to a wheelchair user rolling up towards the banner to join in lifting it.]

Youth from across CA on a 266 mile march stopped in Sacramento on June 4, 2021 while carrying ashes from the fire that burned down Paradise, CA to SF - then joining a national mobilization in Washington, DC.

Being in alignment with Sunrise means we share a vision for how we want our world to change, and how we see our roles as part of making that change. 

We are explicitly for climate justice and see abolition as necessary to that path, not just reducing emissions. 

We recognize that we probably won't all agree on every detail, strategy, or tactic, but hold our organizational principles both nationally and locally as a way to ground & guide how we operate together.

Each principle has expanded text that can be accessed at https://smvmt.org/dna on page 11.

The national principles are as follows: 

1: We grow our power through organizing our communities.
2: We are rooted in what we're fighting for.
3: We are all on a journey to become better organizers, leaders, and people.
4: We rise to the challenge.
5: We transform ourselves so our movement can win.
6: We ask for help and give what we can.
7: We respect each other and our shared home.
8: We are a united movement.
9: We oppose state violence with nonviolent action.
10: We are in solidarity with other movements for change.
11: We are full of determination, fire, and hope. 

Each principle has expanded text that can be accessed at https://bit.ly/sunrise916principles. 

Our local principles are as follows: 

• We tell our stories and we honor each others' stories. 

• We unite with other movements for change. 

• We fight for justice with hope. 

• We take thoughtful initiative.