Author: Hip Hop Caucus

Featured power-building conversations on clean air and water with Big Freedia and local leaders, and live performances from Ha Sizzle and the Water Seed band during 2024 ESSENCE Festival

NEW ORLEANS — Hip Hop Caucus and Beyond Petrochemicals highlighted the racial disparities of environmental pollution from petrochemicals and celebrated Black women at ‘NOLA Green: So Fresh, Seaux Clean,’ a free community-building event hosted at Headquarters by Nice Guys on Friday, July 5. During the 2024 Essence Festival of Culture, the event treated more than 500 attendees to panel discussions, musical performances and power-building conversations to help collectively address fossil fuel pollution and climate change.

‘NOLA Green: So Fresh, Seaux Clean’ featured a panel discussion with GRAMMY-winning recording artist Big Freedia, 2024 TIME 100 awardee RISE St. James founder Sharon Lavigne, and Healthy Gulf organizer Breon Robinson, moderated by Black Girl Environmentalist founder Wawa Gatheru. The panel discussion was preceded by an armchair discussion with Beyond Petrochemicals executive director Heather McTeer Toney, The Vessel Project of Louisiana founder Roishetta Ozane and Deep South Center for Environmental Justice founder Dr. Beverly Wright. The event culminated with a reception and musical performances by Ha Sizzle and the Water Seed Band. 

“Just down the road from the historic 30th anniversary of Essence Festival,  petrochemical facilities have been expanding to poison Black communities,” said Heather McTeer Toney. “At NOLA Green, we brought together community leaders, changemakers, and cultural icons to unite people in the fight against petrochemicals, so that the next thirty years and beyond are healthy, safe, and bright for Louisiana communities.”

Pollution from fossil fuels worsens the effects of climate change, and creates a destructive loop that disproportionately impacts the well-being of Black, Brown and Indigenous people. There are more than 120 proposed petrochemical projects in the U.S. that, if built, would lock in decades of toxic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, posing significant threats to our climate and the health of frontline communities.

Recording Artist and Hip Hop Caucus’ Artist Relations Director and Cultural Producer Dawn Richard said, “The ‘NOLA Green: So Fresh, Seaux Clean’ event is a pivotal step toward addressing environmental injustice, raising awareness of the impact of petrochemicals in the surrounding Gulf, and uniting communities in the fight for a clean, inclusive and equitable future. The love I have for my city and my own personal battle with the climate crisis has made my work with Hip Hop Caucus rewarding, meaningful and tangible. By bringing together diverse voices, in New Orleans and beyond, we can create impactful solutions that benefit everyone.”

For more information on Hip Hop Caucus and Beyond Petrochemicals, visit www.hiphopcaucus.org and www.beyondpetrochemicals.org.

Photo Credit: Hip Hop Caucus and Beyond Petrochemicals

About Hip Hop Caucus 

Formed in 2004, the Hip Hop Caucus (HHC) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that leverages Hip Hop culture to encourage young people to participate in the democratic process. Through a collaborative leadership network, HHC addresses core issues affecting underserved communities. HHC programs and campaigns support solution-driven community organizing led by today’s young leaders. 

About Beyond Petrochemicals

Launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies in September 2022, Beyond Petrochemicals: People Over Pollution aims to halt the rapid expansion of petrochemical and plastic pollution in the United States. The campaign draws on the success of the Beyond Coal campaign, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Bloomberg’s Beyond Carbon campaign, to turbocharge existing efforts led by frontline communities to block the rapid expansion of 120+ petrochemical projects concentrated in three target geographies – Louisiana, Texas, and the Ohio River Valley. The campaign also works to establish stricter rules for existing petrochemical plants to safeguard the health of American communities. For more information, please visit us at beyondpetrochemicals.org and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.

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WASHINGTON — Today, Hip Hop Caucus’ Respect My Vote! Assistant Director Chris Walton issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision giving the President of the United States of America immunity for “official acts.” The decision said the President does not have complete immunity for “unofficial acts”,leaving lower courts to continue to litigate what falls under that bar.

“They turned in their homework late and it was still wrong. The Supreme Court in this decision has left many questions as to whether or not the position ‘No one is above the law’ still stands. This is not a decision that was written for the ages, this is a decision that will only cause more cases to be created as they left it to the courts to decide what is and isn’t an official or unofficial act. The court has ruled on presidential immunity. “A former president is entitled to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his “conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority,” the ruling says. Hip Hop Caucus believes no one should be above the law, including any former President of the United States of America.

Our system of checks and balances must remain. This decision is a blow to the American system of government as the model of equality, justice and democracy. Furthermore, releasing this decision at this late stage in a presidential election year requiring further lower court analysis  will only cause more delays to justice. This Supreme Court has compromised its image and its integrity in the eyes of the American people and things must change going forward. Because of this decision the American people will go to the polls this November without a complete story. 

This November when we go to the ballot box let’s make sure our voices are heard and our votes respected. We want a democracy that works, a democracy that welcomes everyone and proudly stands for human, civil and voting rights. All of these issues are on the ballot this November. The Supreme Court and who appoints it and who confirms it is on the ballot this November and it is now in the hands of the American people to make their voices heard and their votes respected. With fear for our democracy, please get out and vote!”

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WASHINGTON — Today, Hip Hop Caucus’ Assistant Director of Respect My Vote! Chris Walton issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision allowing the federal mandate that medical care be provided in the case of an emergency to be overturned. 

“The Hippocratic oath that doctors take is to first do no harm and the majority on the Supreme Court punted rather than take a stand. As Justice Jackson stated clearly in her dissent “This Court had a chance to bring clarity and certainty to this tragic situation, and we have squandered it.” When it’s all said and done we have to restore Reproductive Freedom from coast to coast and the Hip Hop Caucus stands firm in that belief. You shouldn’t have to risk your life to bring life into this world or be faced with having to be airlifted to another state to receive emergency care. The fact that this decision punted this issue back to lower courts shows how important it is to have our voices heard and our votes respected. This November we will have the opportunity to make sure. 

Hip Hop Caucus is appreciative of this decision to continue to allow Idaho women to be able to continue to receive emergency medical abortions but also more determined than ever to continue the fight to restore full Reproductive Freedom. We strongly urge Congress to take action to further protect the women of America and restore Roe. This November, we call on everyone to join us with our coalition partners to remind voters that our Reproductive Freedoms are on the ballot in regards to Abortion, IVF, and Contraceptives which conservatives want to ban. We have to make it crystal clear that we trust women to make the best decisions for themselves and their bodies and ensure that our votes are heard and respected.”  

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WASHINGTON — Today, Hip Hop Caucus’ Assistant Director of Respect My Vote! Chris Walton issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 8-1 decision upholding a federal ban on gun possession for anyone protected by a domestic violence court order:

“The U.S. Supreme Court’s near unanimous decision to uphold a ban on gun possession for people placed under restraining orders for domestic violence thankfully shows that the Court does have some level of common sense. More than half of all mass shootings are perpetrated by people with a record of domestic violence and the second amendment must have its limits.

This month also marks the ninth anniversary of the Emanuel AME Church mass shooting in Charleston, SC, an act of violence led by a white supremacist, which claimed nine lives. Gun violence continues to grip our nation – there have been more than 190 mass shootings this year alone – but this epidemic does not need to continue.

Hip Hop Caucus supports this decision and we urge Congress to take gun regulations even further by passing and reenacting the federal assault weapons ban and enacting a ban on bump stocks. This November, we will join with our coalition partners to remind voters that guns are on the ballot, make clear that we do not want more guns on our streets and in the wrong hands, and ensure that our votes are heard and respected.”

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WASHINGTON — Today, Hip Hop Caucus’ Respect My Vote! Assistant Director Chris Walton issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision reversing a ban on rapid-fire bump stocks, a gun accessory that enables semiautomatic rifles to fire bullets like fully automatic machine guns:

“America has a problem that we refuse to solve. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Garland v. Cargill throws out nearly 100 years of precedent by effectively legalizing automatic weapons of war for civilian use. The Court’s decision is gravely irresponsible and will have deadly consequences.

For me, this is personal. My sister was in the crowd on the Las Vegas Strip in 2017 when a gunman using bump stocks opened fire and sent 1,000 shots into the crowd —killing 60 people and injuring more than 400 individuals. How many more schools, churches, malls, movie theaters, temples, mosques, neighborhoods, and cities have to be ravaged before this Court and Congress have had enough? 

Hip Hop Caucus, like many of our coalition partners, are strongly opposed to this decision which puts more lives in danger. This November, the ball will be in the court of the American people who will have the ability to elect state legislatures, state Supreme Courts, governors, a Congress and White House leaders who will be in favor of protecting the American people from the epidemic of gun violence. 

Hip Hop Caucus calls on Congress to pass a ban on bump stocks and assault weapons, and we will continue the fight to ensure that the will of the people, through their votes, are heard and respected this election year.”

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WASHINGTON — Today, Hip Hop Caucus Senior Director of Campaigns and Advocacy Russell Armstrong issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision rejecting a challenge to the Food and Drug Administration’s rules for prescribing and dispensing abortion pills:

“Our reproductive rights and freedoms, particularly those that reinforce the body autonomy of women, should be expanded and upheld. The U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine case not only reinforces the FDA’s scientific expertise and processes for drug approvals, but will continue to provide a critical resource for those seeking abortions and the right to choose safe options — for now. 

We still have a fight on our hands. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022, medications like mifepristone, which is used in a majority of U.S. abortions, have become a point of focus for those aiming to curtail reproductive rights. When states like Louisiana are unnecessarily classifying abortion medication as a dangerous narcotic on the same level as Xanax, we must continue organizing state-to-state to make sure reproductive freedom is once again the federal law of the land. 

Abortion access is healthcare and it should be available to all those who desire it regardless of their personal reasons or circumstances. Our most powerful tool to uphold our freedoms and create the change we want to see is to exercise our right to vote. Hip Hop Caucus is committed to supporting community-led advocacy on this issue this election season, and continuing the fight for reproductive freedom until everyone has their full reproductive rights restored.”

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WASHINGTON — Today, Hip Hop Caucus Assistant Director for the Respect My Vote! Campaign, Christopher Walton, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to reverse a lower court’s decision barring the use of a racially segregated congressional district map in South Carolina that unconstitutionally diluted Black voting power:

“The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Alexander v. South Carolina Conference of the NAACP, which had been dragged out for months, only further pushes down the Black community in South Carolina from having its voice heard. By systemically pushing Black voters into an already majority Black voting district, South Carolina is just the latest example of modern voter suppression tactics being validated by the high court. This decision shows that Jim Crow ideologies are alive and being wielded in the name of political opportunity. 

Hip Hop Caucus unequivocally believes that all voices and votes should be heard and respected. We also stand for the courts  as well as the Department of Justice playing a pivotal role in reviewing claims of racial gerrymandering. Therefore, Hip Hop Caucus strongly disagrees with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion that advocates for ignorance in support of White Supremacy. Our system of checks and balances is critical for a fair democracy and for challenging efforts to block and suppress the votes of Black voters and other communities of color.

Hip Hop Caucus will continue to support the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, and will continue to advocate for fair independent redistricting and equal voting rights for all.”

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WASHINGTON — Today, Hip Hop Caucus Economic Justice Director Stephone Coward issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding mechanism, rejecting a Constitutional challenge brought by the payday loan industry:

“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is an important entity for communities of color and has been able to hold corporations, industries, states, and nations accountable for choosing profit over people. This surprising decision allows the CFPB to maintain its independence from the political back and forth of Congress, and we love to see it.” 

For too long, Wall Street has been able to run rampant without meaningful consequences. Wall Street’s historical lack of vision to see that prioritizing people and profit is not mutually exclusive has created a permission structure for Big Banks to feel emboldened to devalue too many Black, Brown and Indigenous communities and consumers as not profitable. As a result, banking deserts persist in many of these communities, leaving predatory lenders in the form of payday loan centers, check cashing stores, and pawn shops to fill the vacuum.

This ruling reaffirms the fact that economic justice and racial justice are inextricably linked and we look forward to continuing our work in coalition with those who advocate for an economy that works for everyone and for financial institutions that address economic inequalities.”

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WASHINGTON — Today, Hip Hop Caucus Assistant Director for the Respect My Vote! Campaign, Christopher Walton, issued the following statement in response to the recent federal district court decision in Louisiana delaying the addition of a second majority-Black Congressional district in the state’s congressional map:

“The Black population of Louisiana is being denied a fair, representative voice in state-wide elections by attempts to prevent adding a second majority-Black district to the state’s Congressional voting map. Unequal representation, much like justice delayed, is representation denied. The Hip Hop Caucus stands against political and legal gamesmanship while Black lives are on the line from environmental injustices and voter disenfranchisement, which go hand-in-hand in Louisiana.

It’s really simple math — just like in Alabama. A third of Louisiana’s population is Black and Louisiana has six Congressional districts. However, currently only one Congressional seat serves a majority Black population. Therefore, developing and approving a geographically-cohesive second district should not be complicated. This case, which is weaponizing section 2 of the Voting Rights Act against the Black communities in Louisiana, goes to show precisely why Section 4 of the Act is still necessary and should be reinstated. The people should not have to wait another election cycle for a new Congressional map that reflects the diversity of Louisiana and empowers the will of the people.”

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Oldest son River Yearwood a part of Paul Smith’s College spring 2024 graduating class

WASHINGTON — Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., the President & CEO of Hip Hop Caucus, is set to deliver empowering commencement addresses at two distinguished institutions this May. On May 11, Yearwood will take the stage at Paul Smith’s College to address graduates, faculty, and guests, followed by a speech at The Piney Woods School commencement on May 25.

Known for his dynamic delivery and impassioned advocacy, Rev. Yearwood Jr. is a visionary leader, community activist, and one of the most innovative advocates and strategists for racial justice and climate justice.

Rev. Yearwood Jr.’s oldest son River Yearwood is a spring 2024 Paul Smith’s College graduate and will attend the ceremony.

“I’m inspired by this next generation of leaders and it is an honor to be invited to share with the graduates at Paul Smith’s College and The Piney Woods School on such a momentous occasion,” said Rev. Yearwood Jr., President & CEO of Hip Hop Caucus. “And being able to deliver a commencement speech the day my child is graduating from one of the finest institutions of higher learning, makes me the proudest parent in the world.”

Paul Smith’s College is a private institution located in the heart of the Adirondacks in Paul Smiths, New York, and prepares students to lead sustainable careers and a sustainable planet.

The Piney Woods School is a co-educational independent historically African-American boarding school for grades 9–12 in Piney Woods, Mississippi. It is the last remaining Black boarding school in America. 

Rev. Yearwood Jr. is the host of the award-winning climate and environmental justice podcast The Coolest Show and Senior Advisor of Bloomberg Philanthropies Beyond Petrochemicals Campaign. He is a White House Champion of Change for climate leadership and according to Rolling Stone he is a “New Green Hero.” 

Paul Smith’s College’s spring 2024 commencement will be livestreamed for those not able to join in person. 

For more information or to schedule an interview with Rev. Yearwood Jr., contact media@hiphopcaucus.org.

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About Hip Hop Caucus

Formed in 2004, the Hip Hop Caucus (HHC) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that leverages Hip Hop culture to encourage young people to participate in the democratic process. Through a collaborative leadership network, HHC addresses core issues affecting underserved communities. HHC programs and campaigns support solution-driven community organizing led by today’s young leaders.