Hip Hop Caucus - Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour

Go DJ! Go DJ! Go Green!

2010-03-08T20:23:00Z

Who would of thought that one day DJ Biz Markie would spin records in front of the US Capitol building in effort to save the environment… On Wednesday February 24th, that happened. And I was there.

News cameras flashed. Any news outlet you can name was on hand, as a solid contingency of all races and ages roared in support of an environmentally friendly economy. In the foreground was the Hip-Hop Caucus‘ bus- fresh from a road trip which spanned spanned from the boot shaped state of Louisiana to the diamond shaped District of Columbia. And in the background, was the United States Capitol Building. A symbolic stance to say the least.

Continue reading HERE

By Pendarvis Harshaw

Who would of thought that one day DJ Biz Markie would spin records in front of the US Capitol building in effort to save the environment… On Wednesday February 24th, that happened. And I was there.

Many grassroots organizations pitched in to organize college students and elders, and their efforts paid off. The event created a news buzz and got a number of people talking about the concept of a green economy; a concept which is far from new.

However, It got me to thinking: how do we make this movement toward a environmentally friendly economy evident to individuals in the inner city?I asked legendary DJ Biz Markie, I asked head of Green for All Pheadrea Ellis Lamkins, I asked the Hip-Hop Caucus’ Rev. Yearwood, and I also asked Congressman Carson from Indiana.

Paradiseexit.com’s Dominique DaCruz of captured a portion of the event on video; and Congressman Carson addressed my question head on. He spoke on making it transparent to people in the inner cities that this “green movement” isn’t just white people trying to save the environment, but this is the future of the American economy. We as economically marginalized citizens of the inner city- can’t afford to miss this opportunity to ride this green wave.

I don’t believe this information has become evident to the necessary people. However, this conference was inspiring in terms of the energy, and if this can continue to go from hood to hood, as the Hip-Hop Caucus has done with its “Green the Block” movement, maybe- just maybe those in an economic bind will begin to seek employment, skills, and ownership in the realm of a green economy.

DIRECT LINK

Omarion Speaks on Clean Energy Education

2010-03-01T21:17:00Z

By Omarion

Cross-Posted on BET.com and Huffington Post

Here’s an op-ed piece Omarion wrote on the importance of Clean Energy Education for the urban community:

Young people in America today have a right to be upset. A lot of people just out of high school or college are wondering about their futures when jobs are so hard to find. But in a time when our country has so many problems that appear unsolvable, we do have a solution that can make our communities more prosperous. We can take control of our energy future.

For decades, we’ve been spending hundreds of billions of dollars to buy oil from overseas. Outdated factories and dirty power plants are polluting our neighborhoods. Gasoline and electricity prices have skyrocketed. And all the while, big corporations and their lobbyists have fought against any changes to the current state of affairs.

But the good news is that the situation is not hopeless. We can make investments in clean energy that will reduce pollution, revitalize our neighborhoods and create new jobs.

Continue reading Article HERE

By Omarion

Cross Posted on BET.com and Huffington Post

Here’s an op-ed piece Omarion wrote on the importance of Clean Energy Education for the urban community:

But the good news is that the situation is not hopeless. We can make investments in clean energy that will reduce pollution, revitalize our neighborhoods and create new jobs.

For the young Americans who might listen to my music or watch my films, I hope I can convince you that it’s time to get engaged. For African Americans and other people of color, I hope you can support the clean energy solutions that will make our communities more prosperous. This isn’t the time to surrender to feelings of hopelessness and despair. It’s time to tell our friends, neighbors and elected officials why clean energy is good for our communities and our country.

That’s why I’m proud to be part of a movement that took to the highways of our nation this month. It was a bus tour for clean energy, known as the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! tour. It brought together young people, entertainers such as myself, people of color and people of many faiths. We are a diverse group with a united voice in support of a clean energy future. The tour started in New Orleans and concluded in Washington, D.C., with stops on college campuses, in neighborhoods, at churches, and at factories where clean energy is putting people to work. We held rallies and concerts to get young people, communities of color, and Americans from all walks of life excited about clean energy solutions.

It’s time to spread the word that clean energy means new jobs. We can invest in free energy sources like wind and solar, as well as the technology that will make our homes and businesses more efficient. When we do this, we’ll create jobs in our own neighborhoods for both entry-level workers and experienced professionals. This means jobs for people like construction workers, electricians, architects and engineers. It means that African-American entrepreneurs will have new opportunities to capitalize on a clean energy economy. We have to stop sending our jobs overseas and start creating new clean energy jobs in America.

And it’s time to stop the air pollution that is making us sick; pollution that is especially hazardous for children and the elderly. Old and outdated power plants are a leading cause of global warming, which is making too many of our neighborhoods inhospitable places to live. The future of our young people depends on our resolve to change the way we use energy. Fortunately, we can take action now to build new industries in America and make life better for future generations.

It’s also time to improve our quality of life. Energy efficiency solutions can the reduce the costs of heating and electricity, which ends up making winters like this one hard for working families.

A clean energy economy will produce new businesses that can revitalize our communities and make our streets safer. Even if we take simple steps, like planting more trees and switching out our light bulbs, we can reduce pollution, make our neighborhoods greener and save money on electricity bills.

We need to tell our leaders that this is a priority. And we need to tell them now. All of us, young and old, are hopeful that we can build a prosperous future. We can do it, and we don’t have any time to lose.

BET: Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour Visits the Capital

2010-03-01T18:21:00Z

BET's Coverage of the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour event in Washington, DC:

BET Videos

BET's Coverage of the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour event in Washington, DC:

BET Videos

IAM: Hip Hop Caucus: Convening for Clean Energy

2010-03-01T15:14:00Z

By Sia Tiambi Barnes for IAM

In part two of a look at events organized by the Hip Hop Caucus (click here for coverage of the HHC’s response to Haiti), IAM joined President and CEO, Reverend Lennox Yearwood; DJ Biz Markie; actress Gloria Reuben; Congressman Andre Carson (D-IN); and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Lisa Jackson among others in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. It was the last stop on the Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour that was taken on a carbon neutral bus, included a team of college students, and was cosponsored byAlliance for Climate Protection’s Repower America campaign. HHC has adopted the green movement as one of their key platforms.

Continue reading HERE

By Sia Tiambi Barnes for IAM

In part two of a look at events organized by the Hip Hop Caucus (click here for coverage of the HHC’s response to Haiti), IAM joined President and CEO, Reverend Lennox Yearwood; DJ Biz Markie; actress Gloria Reuben; Congressman Andre Carson (D-IN); and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Lisa Jackson among others in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. It was the last stop on the Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour that was taken on a carbon neutral bus, included a team of college students, and was cosponsored by Alliance for Climate Protection’s Repower America campaign. HHC has adopted the green movement as one of their key platforms.

The tour started February 19^th in New Orleans with the addition of singer D. Woods. Yearwood noted that the devastation that the area endured from 2005’s Hurricane Katrina was not only because of a natural disaster, but also because of policy. Likewise, he said, environmental erosion is an issue of policy and we would be missing out on key opportunities to rebuild our neighborhoods and economy if we do not lobby for clean energy and the jobs that come with it.

“When we started out in Tulane and Dillard [Universities in New Orleans], the students organized there for a rally [were] talking about this is their lunch counter moment for the 21^st century,” said Yearwood. “When we went further on the road to Little Rock into the heart, which used to be called ‘Banging in the Rock’ because of the gang violence, we went right into the hood where they were coming together saying that we need these new clean energy jobs so that we can fight poverty and pollution at the same time. Senior citizens... they were just so grateful because these students came by to give some efficiency kits to weatherize their homes.”

The weatherization kits help to seal gaps in the home (around doors and windows) and greatly reduces the amount of energy needed for temperature control. Studies show this and other comprehensive clean energy practices and policies can create up to 1.9 million jobs nationwide and save individual households $1,175 per year. It’s “not just an issue of saving money but making people understand how that connects to the environment,” said Jackson.

The tour ended in DC in recognition of the power of political participation. “Let me tell you what happens when you use your voice,” said Maggie Fox, President and CEO of Alliance for Climate Protection. “What happens are things like the American Recovery Act, the largest investment in clean energy in our nation’s history. 39% increase in wind power in our country just because of one new law.”

“We spent over 700 billion in bailing out Wall Street,” reminded Congressman Carson. “We spent over a trillion dollars for the war in Iraq. The Center for American Progress said if we were willing as a government to invest just two hundred billion in a green economy, we could produce over two million jobs in just two years... With just the right investments, greening the block the right way, not the sticky icky oo wee, but greening the block the right way, we can produce jobs and put America back to work.”

“It’s not about Democrat or Republicans,” said Yearwood. “It’s about humanity. It’s black, it’s white, it’s brown, it’s yellow, it’s red, it’s man, it’s female, it’s atheist, it’s theist, it’s straight and it’s gay. It’s about humanity.”

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Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour Ends in Washington: We are the Light, Now Listen!

2010-02-25T15:11:00Z

“Give light and people will find the way.” This quote by civil rights leader Ella Baker sums up the last day of the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus tour. Baker mentored young civil rights stalwarts like Diane Nash, Stokely Carmichael, Rosa Parks and Bob Moses. Today, she would be proud as the new generation of activists rallied behind the need for clean energy jobs and their rights to economic equality in our nation’s capital.

Imagine it. After touring the nation and meeting with young people in urban communities all along the way, the Hip Hop Caucus’ Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour brought its message of clean energy solutions to the steps of the Capitol for a closing rally. The event began with music from DJ Biz Markie. His classic beats were heard around the Capitol as hip hop echoed off of our nation’s government buildings. As Biz began, a bus full of Howard University students marched up to the stage with Clean Energy Now! signs and appropriately took their place on the stage as one of the nation’s leading institutions.

The program began with youth activists, Kari Fulton from EJCC, Liz Starke, student activist from Michigan State University and William Kellibrew who represented the Black Youth Vote. Together, these students amplified the diversity of today’s youth movement and the importance of a clean energy economy for their future prosperity.

Rev. Yearwood moderated the rally and introduced Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, who spoke of the importance of a clean energy economy to protect our air and provide clean water to all communities across the country, especially for young people and future generations. “The tour has been across the country listening to young voices calling for good jobs, lower energy costs and cleaner communities,” said Jackson. “This is the time to seize global leadership in clean energy innovation and answer the young people and urban communities who are asking for clean energy now.” Signs were raised, young people were cheering, and Washington was listening.

Following Administrator Jackson, movement leaders like Gary Flowers, Congressman Andre Carson, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green For All, and actress Gloria Reuben took the stage to explain how protecting the climate can help us to take back our streets by creating new businesses and regenerating the urban economy. Maggie Fox, CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection, amplified the importance of showing the diversity of this movement to Washington. “It is clear that our young people and communities of color will benefit greatly from the economic opportunities that come from investing in clean energy,” said Fox.

Today, the message was clear in Washington. WE MUST ACT NOW! A clean energy economy means new jobs, less pollution and increased opportunities for our children and families. The clean energy movement is about taking control of our future and bringing opportunity to our communities. Millions are out of work, and Washington has the opportunity to create 1.9 million new jobs and rebuild our communities from the ground up by making a commitment to clean energy here in America. The Hip Hop Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour shined a light upon the very real economic opportunities that will help fight poverty and pollution at the same time.

National Journal: Hip-Hop Caucus Goes Green

2010-02-25T13:55:00Z

The south side of the Hill's reflecting pool received a splash of color in more ways than one on Wednesday. Young, multicultural Hip Hop Caucus organizers poured out of their neon-colored tour bus that had taken them from Little Rock, Ark. to Washington D.C. in less than a week, holding signs and chanting, "Clean Energy Now!" to the beats of Biz Markie.

Led by Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., the 700,000 member-strong Hip Hop Caucus gained attention in 2004 with its national "Vote or Die" campaign and since then has teamed up with various celebrities to bring political awareness to its target demographic: urban African-American youth.

Continue reading article HERE

Ashlie Rodriguez for the National Journal

This year the Caucus is partnered with the Alliance for Climate Protection and taking a clean energy message to low-income areas, encouraging African-Americans to support clean energy policies -- for economic as well as environmental reasons.

"Comprehensive clean energy policies will help our communities and create a brighter future through solutions that will fight poverty and pollution at the same time," said Yearwood.

Also in attendance was EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, who echoed Yearwood: "We need clean energy because we need the jobs. Black leaders understand this is an issue for our communities."

Referencing a 16.5 percent black unemployment rate, Rep. André Carson, D-Ind., argued that the money currently being spent on bank bailouts and the Iraqi war would be more wisely directed elsewhere.

"If we just invest $200 billion in clean energy, we will create 200 billion jobs in just two years," Carson said.

When asked about opposition from those in Congress who voted against green jobs bills such as the failed Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008, and those who find clean energy as a job creator to be a myth, Yearwood replied, "They shouldn't judge by how much we're spending on the front end, but by how much we're saving on the back end -- like high utility bills, pollution and jobs. It's like insurance to invest in clean energy."

Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour Finale in DC

2010-02-25T12:35:00Z

The Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour makes its final stop in Washington DC. A chorus of voices including EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Phaedra of Green the Block, Maggie L. Fox, CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection, speak about the need to address climate change and transition to a clean energy economy.

Chrisette Michele on Clean Energy

2010-02-25T03:44:00Z

Chrisette Michele speaks with the Hip Hop Caucus about fighting poverty and pollution at the same time:

Chrisette Michele speaks with the Hip Hop Caucus about fighting poverty and pollution at the same time.

Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour in Columbus, OH

2010-02-24T22:33:00Z

While Columbus, Ohio was the last stop on our tour before making our way to Washington, DC, person after person at Columbus State Community College echoed the feeling that transitioning to a clean energy economy meant a new beginning for them.

Michelle Pershing, a veteran, outreach assistant, and energy auditor for Interfaith Power and Light, talked about how after retiring from the military after 26 years, she was looking for the next career in her life. When she started taking energy auditing classes, she realized, “Energy audits are a great way to link people with needs with jobs and the needs of the community with those people and those jobs.”

For a former offender named Parrish Searcy, the Orientation to Trade and Apprenticeship Programs (OTAP) that we visited also represented a new beginning. As a former offender, OTAP gave him new options and opportunities that have allowed him to develop a career that he is proud of.

Watch Video of Parrish and Michelle HERE

It is with that spirit of new beginnings and new opportunities in mind that we make our way to Washington, DC. Clean energy represents a cleaner planet, millions of new jobs across the country and renewed hope for millions of Americans.

Help us spread the word and share your voice in support of transitioning to a clean energy economy. Come to our event Wednesday at Noon in Washington, DC.

For more information on tour events visit www.hiphopcaucus.org/bustour

VIDEO: Columbus State Community College Workforce Development Program

2010-02-24T15:05:00Z

Columbus State Community College is helping create the clean energy workforce of the present and future:

Columbus State Community College is helping create the clean energy workforce of the present and future:

Hip Hop Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour--Indianapolis & Bloomington

2010-02-23T15:59:00Z

The Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour stopped in Indiana on Monday, and over the course of the day the bus connected with people who covered almost every demographic of the clean energy movement. The diversity in background and reasons for supporting a transition to a clean energy economy certainly stood out on this trip. As Kevin Patrick, a second-generation sheet metal worker in Indianapolis put it bluntly, “being environmentally conscious isn’t just for hippies anymore.”

He’s not wrong. The need to transition to a clean energy economy is so strong that during a tour of the Sheet Metal Workers Local #20 Training Facility, we saw something rare: management and workers agreeing with each other. Both workers and management badly want jobs for Indianapolis that will stay in Indianapolis, and both see transitioning to a clean energy economy as the best way to create those jobs.

Later, at a radio interview for Radio One, host Amos Brown challenged both the Hip Hop Caucus and Repower America together to further amplify the voices of communities of color emphasizing the need to put clean energy jobs in the very neighborhoods where dirty energy polluted these neighborhoods.

In the afternoon, Biz Markie rejoined the Clean Energy Now! Bus at Bloomington, Indiana where we stopped for a student forum at Indiana University. The panel included Rev. Yearwood, Biz Markie, and Indiana University professors and students who responded to audience questions about how they could get involved in the movement, do their part to save money on energy bills and how to protect their environment. Here, it was Rev. Yearwood who issued the challenge, asking students gathered in the auditorium to organize and fight for their future.

Labor, management, communities of color, students and young people, all calling for America to transition to a clean energy economy? That is what we call a movement.

Today, we land in Columbus, Ohio before we embark on the home stretch of our trip. Look out DC, we’re coming your way!

The Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour visits the Sheet Metal Workers Local 20 in Indianapolis, IN

2010-02-23T13:50:00Z

Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour--St. Louis

2010-02-22T13:50:00Z

Our bus tour continued on to St. Louis, Missouri on Sunday morning for the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour. Spirits were high at the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church where Rev. Lennox Yearwood and the rest of the team attended services with thousands of congregational members.

Pastor Michael Jones led the congregation in a rousing sermon about the biblical story of three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who stood up against Nebuchadnezzar. Later, Rev. Yearwood took the stage and equated these historical figures’ stance to the fight against lobbyists of dirty energy industries and special interests in Washington (see video below). Today, the clean energy movement provides a historical moment to stand for lasting social justice, and it will take the courage and endurance of all our clean energy fighters and champions.

As the bus said goodbye to Missouri following the service at Friendly Temple, Rev. Yearwood took a few minutes to do an online interview with bloggers (watch video HERE). During the interview, he touched on how important it is for depressed communities to transition to a clean energy economy, as it could create as many as 29,000 jobs in Missouri for both entry-level workers and experienced professionals. These are jobs that cannot be outsourced.

The tour will be in Indianapolis today for a site visit of a sheet metal workers training facility and press conference. Later in the day, the tour will arrive at Indiana University in Bloomington for performances from Biz Markie and a student panel discussion. Hoosier students are already fired up!

Rev. Yearwood addresses Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis, MO

VIDEO: On the Bus with Clean Energy Now! Rev. Yearwood's interview with ShowMeProgress.com

2010-02-22T01:08:00Z

Rev. Yearwood's interview with ShowMeProgress.com en route to Indiana:

Rev. Yearwood's interview with ShowMeProgress.com en route to Indiana:

Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour--Columbia, MO

2010-02-21T11:16:00Z

Today the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour arrived in Columbia, Missouri at the 5th Street Christian Church, a historic 140 year old church built 10 years after slavery ended, for a Neighborhood Home Efficiency Canvass.

State Representatives, community leaders, University of students, including members of Community About Raising Excellence and Mizzou Black Men’s Initiative, and local volunteers distributed home efficiency kits and application forms to apply for energy efficiency grants to members of the community.

Each home efficiency kit contained a shower head, window insulation, and compact fluorescent light bulbs that will save each family approximately $350 per year. To put that number in perspective, over the course of one cold and rainy hour, the volunteers distributed 100 of these kits, saving the community around $35,000.

People knew that energy efficiency was important, but after listening to Rev.Yearwood, and local State Representatives Stephen Webber and Chris Kelly, the concept that small changes could make a big impact really hit home.

“Last month we had the biggest utility bill we’d ever seen. It was like $375 and I didn’t feel like I was doing anything different from my normal routine,” said Terry Dennis, Mizzou wide receiver and member of the student-athlete organization Community About Raising Excellence (C.A.R.E.). “I’m always searching for little ways – and I hear my mom talk about it or my roommates talk about it, maybe unplug this, or turn this off. All these little things that I could do to save money, because honestly, I get a lot of help from my mother in paying for college and I feel like it’s my obligation to my mother to not make it so hard on her.”

Those in attendance were eager to learn about more ways to get involved in the clean energy movement and ways they could help their community save money on utility bills.