Following the presidential inauguration, climate activists at Brown are looking to the future with both fear and optimism. This semester, Sunrise Brown is planning for a renewed focus on actions at the local level.
The organization is looking to build relationships with the Providence community in addition to preparing for a potential faculty vote on fossil fuel dissociation.
“With the inauguration, we’re going to see a breakdown of things on the national level, a complete halting and even backtracking of a lot of the things that we’ve seen so far,” said Trevor Wilkins ’26, a Sunrise actions co-lead. “That just means it’s even more important for local action.”
This is a part of a larger shift in Sunrise’s organizing strategy following the inauguration, explained Emma Blankstein ’26, a Sunrise co-hub coordinator. By focusing on local efforts, Sunrise can “have more of an impact and step in to fill that gap of federal action that won’t be happening these next few years,” she added.
On his first day in office, President Trump signed dozens of executive orders, including orders to exit the Paris Climate Agreement, deregulate oil production and pause offshore wind leasing.
“We’re trying to think about how we can be strategic (and) how we can get people who are ready to fight back,” she added. She hopes activists work with local legislators, communicate with congressional representatives and plan longer-term initiatives.
Last year, Sunrise released their Respect Report as part of their fossil fuel divestment campaign, known as DIRE, which emphasized a positive relationship between Brown and the Providence community.
Currently, Sunrise’s community task force focuses on building relationships with climate and environmental justice organizations in Providence.
Sunrise is looking to further involve itself with local actions, according to Charlotte Calkins ’27, a Sunrise co-hub coordinator. Actions have included protests against a proposed plan to turn Pawtucket’s Morley Field into a parking lot.
“One thing that is most obvious to me, from even just last semester, is that students themselves are more aware and angry,” Calkins said. “We’ve already noticed people coming to our meetings more and wanting to find a place to fight back.”
The group is also looking towards a potential faculty vote on fossil fuel dissociation.
Last semester, the Advisory Committee on University Resources Management, or ACURM, recommended a faculty vote on fossil fuel dissociation. President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 did not endorse this recommendation in her response to the committee.
Blankstein and Calkins expressed uncertainty regarding the timeline of this possible faculty vote and emphasized that any future Sunrise action is “contingent on when the faculty vote is.”
“In the event that there is a faculty vote this upcoming semester, we definitely have plans in the works,” she added. She cited town halls, presentations to different departments and one-on-one discussions with faculty members as possible initiatives.
She also discussed a possible initiative with the Center for Career Exploration to ensure that recruitment is done ethically at Brown, which would require transparency regarding career outreach from fossil fuel companies.
Blankstein also said that faculty mentorship, which was a key component of the ACURM recommendation, will be key to beginning “educational dialogues” on fossil free research.
Sunrise plans to continue to reach out to faculty members and academic departments, specifically in the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Calkins said. They also plan to support faculty in finding funding sources for climate research that are not from fossil fuel companies.
Annika Singh is The Herald’s tech chief and a metro editor from Singapore. She covers crime, justice and local politics, but mainly she stands in line for coffee and looks up answers every time she attempts a crossword.
