We can only beat Coronavirus by supporting each other.
Our contemporary society has not seen a health crisis on the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year is shaping up to be extremely hard on all of us and this challenge has taken most people entirely by surprise. As an organization focused on saving as many lives as possible from the looming climate crisis, this pandemic has come out of nowhere, reordered our priorities, and changed our long and short term strategies. But in the darkest times, the most important seeds can sprout. The community effort of neighbors helping neighbors has responded more quickly, directly, and effectively than any aid coming from the public or private sectors. Now is the time for us stand together and demand that our institutions start working for all of us, not just the wealthy few. Solidarity forever!
NC United for Survival and Beyond
Sunrise has joined NC United, a coalition of organizations that have co-created 10 demands of the NC General Assembly and Governor to respond to the most vulnerable communities during COVID-19… and beyond. The demands are as follows.
1) Expand Medicaid and Protect Our Hospitals
2) Protect Immigrants
3) Protect Incarcerated People
4) Moratorium on All Evictions, Foreclosures and Utility Shut-offs
5) Freedom from Hunger
6) Ensure Paid Sick Days and Family Medical Leave. Fix our Broken Unemployment System
7) Put the Health and Welfare of Working Families and Communities Ahead of Corporate Handouts
8) Tax Rich Corporations
9) Protect our Democracy and Extend the Census
10) Accessible Government
For a deeper look into these demands and the coalition, check out the
Sunrise School
The national Sunrise Movement is facilitating an online community called Sunrise School where anyone can go to build the skills and power needed to confront this crisis.
Click this link to sign up for the next 4 day training.
Mutual Aid
Plug into ongoing community mutual aid efforts!
BeLoved Asheville is focused on getting food and supplies to the most marginalized members of the Asheville community
Bounty and Soul is offering free bags of food every Tuesdays at St. James Episcopal Church parking lot from 11am-1pm and Fridays at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church parking lot from 4-6pm. They are asking that no one arrives to the site prior to the scheduled times.
WNC Mutual Aid Network designed a site to organize community preparedness and recovery in Asheville.
Asheville Survival Program is a facebook page for information and resource sharing.
Coping with Corona Collective is a platform for online health webinars and conversations related to the crisis.
Political Action
Sign the petition to tell Richard Burr he must resign for using his position of power to do insider trading.
Call/email our elected officials to demand a moratorium on rent, mortgage payments, and utility bills.
Email all your elected state officials at once with the
Governor Roy Cooper: (919) 814-2000,
Senator Thom Tillis: (202) 224-6342
Senator Richard Burr: (202) 224-3154
Congressman Mark Meadows: (202) 225-6401
NC Senator District 48 Chuck Edwards: (919) 733-5745,
NC Senator District 49 Terry VanDuyn: (919) 715-3001,
NC House District 11 Allison Dahle: (919) 733-5755,