Revitalized Grinnell College Sunrise Movement chapter tackles climate change

Lily Lockwood-Keil `29 and Olivia Brightly `29 have revived Grinnell’s Sunrise Movement chapter this semester following a temporary period of inactivity. 

The youth-led national organization focuses on grassroots climate organizing but at Grinnell, its leaders said their mission is also about building community and directing student energy toward meaningful action.

Lockwood-Keil, who is from Portland, Oregon, said she was already familiar with Sunrise before coming to Grinnell. 

“Portland has a really lively history of organizing,” she said. In high school, she helped coordinate and lead several citywide climate actions and worked alongside local Sunrise organizers. When she arrived on campus and saw that a Sunrise chapter was listed online but inactive, she was surprised.

“We started talking to people, and they told us the College isn’t really involved with a lot of these big movements,” she said. “We were wondering, what’s the missing piece here?”

Brightly, who is from Ventura, California, had less prior exposure to Sunrise but shared a desire to become involved in activism. 

“I didn’t have the opportunity to get involved in anything similar in high school, but I wanted to,” she said. 

When Lockwood-Keil suggested reviving Sunrise, Brightly was immediately on board.

Since its launch in early February, the group has drawn around 30 students. 

Rather than immediately focusing on one singular campaign, the co-leaders say they are prioritizing building organizing skills and listening to student concerns.

A key tool they have introduced is power mapping, an organizing exercise that helps students identify who holds influence within a system and how to effectively advocate for change. 

“It’s about familiarizing yourself with local systems of power,” Lockwood-Keil said. For example, she said if students want changes in dining hall offerings, they might consider the roles of dining staff, dietitians and administrators, and determine the most strategic way to approach them.

The hub also aims to serve as a bridge between campus and the broader Grinnell community. 

Lockwood-Keil said she hopes to connect students with local groups such as the Grinnell Organizing Collective and the League of Women Voters and encourage attendance at town halls, demonstrations and civic events. “We really see Sunrise as a way for people to feel like they have a community behind them,” she said.

The Sunrise Movement is known for pushing ambitious climate policy. In 2018, the organization gained national recognition while promoting the Green New Deal when 200 of its activists occupied Nancy Pelosi’s office in protest. 

Both co-leads stressed that local hubs have significant autonomy. While the national organization provides training and guiding principles, individual chapters choose how to respond to legislation and which campaigns to prioritize.

Lockwood-Keil said that that flexibility allows the hub to respond to both environmental and pro-democracy issues. She said that the group has discussed participating in upcoming demonstrations and hosting watch parties, as well as pursuing official recognition as a Registered Student Organization.

Promotion efforts are also ramping up. There have been internal developments, with the formation of a leadership team and the recent appointment of additional coordinators for recruitment, social media and art and logistics. Plans include expanding their Instagram presence, creating posters and distributing small informational cards to raise awareness across campus.

For both Brightly and Lockwood-Keil, the goal is not only policy change but empowerment.

“There’s a lot of energy on campus,” Brightly said. “People want to do something — they just don’t always know what to do.”