Meera Dasgupta

Dasgupta is working on catalyzing an initiative at the intersection of the arts and environmentalism to uplift the narratives of women of color on the frontlines of climate catastrophe and solidify their words into tangible, policy-driven action.

In 2020, Dasgupta was named the youngest and first Asian American U.S. Youth Poet Laureate. Through this, she has been able to provide poetry workshops to youth, globally, and was featured by Vogue India, the United Nations, The Library of Congress, Vox, Now This, among others. Simultaneously, as a fierce advocate for climate justice, Meera managed an installation at the Glasgow Center for Contemporary Arts with the Human Impacts Institute during COP26; the installation showcased calls to action by global south indigenous leaders and a video of their lived experiences. Her other work includes being a Climate Clock Global Spokesperson, Arctic Angel, Google GenZ Youth Council member, World Food Forum Champion, Stockholm+50 Youth Task Force Member, and UNA-USA Life on Land Ambassador.

Most recently, Dasgupta was named an Inaugural RISE scholarship winner with the Rhodes Trust and Schmidt Futures for a social justice-centered anthology that she had been curating. Through this, she was able to travel to South Africa with other young people internationally, to incorporate systems thinking into her current projects. Dasgupta is studying at the University of Chicago and is interested in studying Law, Letters, and Society and being more involved in citywide, grassroots actions.

”As a visionary leader, I will strive to pull chairs to a reconstructed table, one of which is inclusive of all voices and dreams of a better world.”