Hey there John, it's Rosario
I went to the Texas Hill Country with my Sunrise hub to help with disaster relief after the devastating July 4th flash floods. Deep in “Trump country,” I found something that shocked me.
I’ll be honest with you: I wasn’t sure how political conversations were going to go. When I showed up, I was ready to help distribute supplies and sort through rubble, but I was nervous to talk about climate change with community members — many of whom I knew had voted for Trump.
I shouldn’t have worried. My fellow Sunrisers and I quickly realized that it’s easy to talk about our work, because everybody — left or right — could agree on one thing: polluters should pay for the damage they’ve caused.
It made me proud to be a part of Sunrise, and it made me proud of the campaign we’ve chosen to run. We are fighting for something most Americans believe in that will make all of our lives better (unless you’re a fossil fuel billionaire, I guess).
In the process, we have the opportunity to re-draw the politics of climate change and build the coalition we need to pass the legislation we deserve. My experience in the Hill Country has shown me that these ideas are popular everywhere, even where you might not expect it.
Everyone we met shared a common goal: to help the Texas Hill Country rebuild after flash flooding caused by climate change.
And everyone we met — be they a socialist or a Trump voter — shared one political opinion: billionaire polluters should pay for the damage they’ve caused, NOT everyday Texans.
Sunrise Movement is committed to showing up after climate disasters, because it’s what good neighbors do. But we also know that climate disasters are escalating, and we must take political action that forces our government to side with the American people over Big Oil.
That’s why, after returning home from 5 days of mutual aid, my hub didn’t stop working: we took action to demand justice for flood victims. After Greg Abbot called a special legislative session to address flood relief, Republicans have been doing anything but helping flood victims, instead using the session to attack trans people and ram through anti-democratic gerrymandering.
It’s disgusting, and we’re fighting to keep politicians’ priorities where they should be — on flood victims.
Across the political spectrum, Americans agree: when disaster strikes, our government should show up to help. And polluters should foot the bill.
We’re fighting to make this a reality, but we need your help. To run decentralized campaigns like this, Sunrise needs the infrastructure to support local organizers like those in my hub.
Rosario
Sunrise Austin
Email us: [email protected]
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