Chanté Davis, a 16-year-old New Orleans native, knows that climate change is urgent and personal. In 2005, she and her family evacuated right before Hurricane Katrina decimated their hometown. They settled in Houston, where, over the past decade, she’s lived through several more storms, made stronger and more dangerous because of the rapid warming of the planet. In 2019, Davis joined the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate action organization. Since then, Davis, an aspiring marine biologist, has helped mobilize teens across the Houston area and the nation. As a lead organizer at Sunrise, she’s coordinated everything from school strikes drawing attention to the United States’ lack of climate policy to phone-banking and canvassing for candidates who promised to support the Green New Deal, a comprehensive climate bill that would guide the country toward a fossil fuel-free future.
Davis spoke with the Observer about why young people’s voices matter and what comes after the 2020 election.
Texas Observer: How did you get your start with Sunrise?
