Dear John,

If you haven’t heard the news yet, it’s official: Bernie Sanders has suspended his campaign for President.¹

So many of us are feeling the heartbreak that accompanies those words, a pain compounded by the fear and uncertainty we are already experiencing over the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a lot to hold right now and none of us should have to do that alone. It’s time for us to come together and discuss what comes next.

Join us for a Mass Call on Thursday at 8:00pm EST (5:00pm PST) to talk about how we got here and how we carry the movement forward.

Sanders is more than a presidential candidate; he is an honest communicator about the crises we face and the solutions within reach. He is a mobilizer that works alongside movements like ours, not against them. He is a social revolutionary, advocating for the right to a livable present and future. Like us, he turned ideas once considered politically impossible into the politically inevitable.

To lose him as a champion is a blow. But this was always bigger than Bernie. Movements didn’t start with Bernie. I came to Sunrise from my background at Black Lives Matter and some of our movement elders and mentors got their start in Occupy. Why have movements been such a powerful force for good? Because they build relationships, community, and power for the long haul.

Now, more than ever, we need that sense of purpose. That community. That love. Our generation is a movement generation, with the potential to overthrow the unjust systems that foster inequality, stoke bigotry, and dehumanize us all. It’s not just about climate change. It’s not just about coronavirus. And it’s certainly not just about Bernie Sanders.

Sunrise gives us a strong anchor, but so many of our friends right now are living with despair and hopelessness. It is up to us to bring them into our community, to share our sense of purpose and our love with as many other young people as we can.

The end of Bernie’s Presidential campaign is not the end of a movement. Our strength has always resided in our people. Reach out to friends and family who may be feeling similarly disappointed about the news and invite them to the call this Thursday at 8:00pm EST (5:00pm PST) so we can unite, reground in our purpose, and move forward together.

We will carry on the fight for those we don’t know.

Mattias Lehman, Digital Director

¹April 8, 2020; Bernie Sanders Live Stream