Varshini Prakash
Varshini Prakash is the Executive Director and co-founder of Sunrise, a movement of young people working to stop climate change, build economic prosperity for all through a Green New Deal, and elect a new generation of politicians to office. Varshini has been a leading voice for young Americans, inspiring thousands of young people to fight for the Green New Deal alongside the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders and helped put the climate crisis at the top of the political agenda in the states.[1]
About
Varshini Prakash was born and raised outside Boston, MA. She got involved in the climate movement as an undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She joined the UMass Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign early in her time at UMass and lead the campaign for two years. In Spring 2016, the campaign won after a 2-week long mass escalation in which over 700 students, faculty, and alumni participated. 32 were arrested after peacefully refusing to leave the Whitmore Administration Building until UMass agreed to climate action. For the last three years, she has coordinated fossil fuel divestment campaigns with the Fossil Fuel Divestment Student Network at a regional and national level. She supported campaigns across the country through training, mentorship, and strategic guidance.
This spring, Varshini supported the launch of the Sunrise Movement building an army of young people to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process. She is the Lead Spokeswoman and coordinates Actions Design.[2]
Progressive International
Varshini Prakash is a former member of the Council of the Progressive International.
National Leading From the Inside Out Alum
Varshini Prakash, Executive director, Sunrise Movement was a 2023 Rockwood Leadership Institute National Leading From the Inside Out Alum.[3]
“Road to the Green New Deal”
On April 19, 2019, Detroit DSA co-hosted the Sunrise Movement’s “Road to the Green New Deal” speaking tour stop in Detroit. Speakers included Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Dorthea Thomas of Good Jobs Now, and Detroit DSA Co-Chair Natasha Fernandez-Silber.[4]
Greater Detroit Democratic Socialists of America April 19 ·
With Natasha Fernandez-Silber, Abdul El-Sayed and Varshini Prakash at Bonstelle Theatre.
Friends
Varshini Prakash January 29, 2013:
Too hot to handle :) love you suspects!!!! — with Jarrod Stein, Jesse Carrillo, Emily Elizabeth, Alex Russell, Alex Russell, Danielle Sultan, Ally Moran, Andrew Sachs, Taisha Edouard, Brandon Hetherington and Grace Emily.
Sunrise originals
Sunrise Movement June 21, 2017:
This past weekend, 38 young people came together from across the country to launch Sunrise Movement at the first ever Sunrise Orientation Training.
We are building an army of young people to stop climate change and create millions of good-paying jobs in the process. ... See More — with September Sky Porras, Sophie Lasoff, Kyle Lambing, Jabari Mickles, Gunther Melander, Victoria Fernandez, Griffin Sinclair-Wingate, Evan Weber, Aru Shiney-Ajay, Akilah Sanders-Reed, Michaela Mujica-Steiner, Varshini Prakash, Erin Bridges, Morissa Zuckerman, Miles Goodrich, Dinaz Kureishy, Matt Meyers, Sara Blazevic, Lauren Mill Lehr, Emma Schurink, Stephen O'Hanlon, Anthony Torres, Charlie Jiang, David Caicedo, Shana Herman, Jessie Thornton and Survival Media Agency.
Sunrise Fellows, 2018
Sunrise Movement June 12 2018:
We did it! We just wrapped a powerful, inspiring week together with seventy new #SunriseSemester2018 fellows. We shared stories, learned the skills and craft of organizing, and built relationships that will serve us for years to come. Now, fellows are off to Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Minnesota to build the youth army in 2018.
We're still working to make sure each one of these incredible humans can go all-in on the elections through November. Can you pitch in? — with Howie Stanger, Sam Quigley, Drew Magnolia Arnum, Emerson Michael Skufca, Cormac Martinez del Rio, Gabby Chihiro, Dyanna Jaye, Jillian Hanson, Sara Blazevic, Stephen O'Hanlon, Cody Purchase, Cody Jay Purchase, Olivia Freiwald, Jeremy Ornstein, Nicholas Jansen, Felton Pierre, Jerrica Jackman, Madison Daisy, September Sky Porras, Izzi Graj, Nicole Catania, Lauren Maunus, Miles Goodrich, Victoria Fernandez, Phillip Brown, Marian Michaels, Elizabeth Gilbert, Jordan Mudd, Christian Huerta, Claire Morrison, Renata Leighton, Will Lawrence, Raven Geiger, Arjun Jayaraman, Vanessa Harris, Sam Taylor, Varshini Prakash, Gunther Melander, Erin Bridges, Haley Maurice, Aru Shiney-Ajay, Christian Galo, Marcela Mulholland, Emily Grace LaShelle, Sophia Elan Zaia, Emma Walker, Evan Weber and Brian Stilwell.