Lecture by Varshini Prakash – UMass to Sunrise: Building the Youth-Led Movement for Climate Justice
Photo: Ellsberg Initative
Source: Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy
The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy will host a public lecture, “UMass to Sunrise: Building the Youth-Led Movement for Climate Justice,” with its 2025 activist-in-residence, Varshini Prakash, on February 26 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m in the Old Chapel at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Varshini Prakash has been a leader in the climate movement for more than a decade and was a co-founder and the former Director of the Sunrise Movement, which organized thousands of young people in the fight to stop climate change, create millions of good, union jobs, and build racial equity through a Green New Deal. She is a proud UMass grad in the class of ’15 where she was involved with the Fossil Fuel Divestment campaign.
As part of her residency, Prakash will be on campus February 24-28, and will visit with departments and classes, hold office hours, and lead a workshop for student activists. Her public lecture will offer insights on building the climate justice movement and responding to the current political moment.
The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy is inspired by the life and legacy of Daniel Ellsberg (1931-2023), the legendary whistleblower who released the Pentagon Papers to the press and public in 1971. In 2019, UMass Amherst acquired Ellsberg’s voluminous papers. They are archived at the Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center, widely known for its world-renowned holdings chronicling activism for peace, democracy, and social justice.
The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy is directed by UMass History professor Christian Appy, author of three books about the Vietnam War and recipient of the Chancellor’s Medal, the Distinguished Teaching Award, and the Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award.
UMass to Sunrise: Building the Youth-Led Movement for Climate Justice is free and open to the public. Please join us for this important event.
About the Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy
The mission of the Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy is to promote public understanding, scholarship, and activism in support of compelling, democratic, and sustainable alternatives to militarism, authoritarianism, and environmental degradation. For more information please visit our website: www.eipad.org
