Cross-posted from Hip Hop Caucus
Tour Launch at Dillard University
Great start to the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour. Rev. Yearwood, joined by D. Woods, Gloria Reuben, DJ Biz Markie, and community and student leaders, rallied with hundreds of students on Dillard University’s campus in a call for clean energy.
The tour bus arrived at Dillard University at noon. As the sound systems were brought online and the music began to play, students gathered in anticipation of the events to come.
As the crowd tipped over 300 people, Rev. Lennox Yearwood took the stage in front of the bus. He started the event by thanking everyone for coming to the kick off of the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour, and for joining the movement to ensure all communities are engaged, and understand the importance of transitioning to a clean energy economy that will “fight poverty and pollution at the same time.”
Rev. Yearwood implored the crowd to recognize the significance of this moment and to respond with the same tenacity that the previous generation had when faced with Jim Crowe. He said, “This is our lunch counter moment…In the 20th Century they had to fight for equality, and in the 21st century we gotta fight for existence.” By tying climate protection and clean energy jobs to social justice and economic empowerment, Rev. Yearwood and the other speakers effectively engaged a crowd of close to 300 people for nearly two hours.
Rev. Yearwood then introduced world renowned DJ and entertainer Biz Markie. As the energy continued to build, Maime Butler, a student leader, came on stage to welcome the tour to campus and introduce the speakers who had come to talk about the importance of the clean energy economy and climate protection.
Actress and activist Gloria Reuben discussed the importance of transitioning to a clean energy economy, “We need to stop burning fossil fuels, we need to stop polluting our communities and we need to put America back to work with clean energy jobs.”
Roundtable Discussion at Tulane University
At Tulane University, close to 100 people showed up to a student led roundtable discussion that focused on engaging youth, communities of color and low-income communities in the clean energy movement. Students and young people from a wide variety of organizations and backgrounds engaged in a dialogue with panel members. Those in attendance included Rev. Yearwood, D. Woods, Gloria Reuben, DJ Biz Markie, local rapper and activist Sess 4-5 and others. Topics included job creation, pollution reduction, and practical ways to engage others to make a positive environmental impact in their own lives.
After a student moderator posed a series of questions to the panelists, the floor was open to the audience. For nearly 45 minutes, young people, many of whom were young activists from states outside of Louisiana, asked questions ranging from how climate change can be seen as a moral issue to the practicalities of how political organizers in others states can plug into the movement on the ground to further address the cause and help put people back to work.
Charles Allen, a professor at Tulane and native of New Orleans, discussed the importance of rebuilding the Lower 9th Ward utilizing sustainable building practices. This led to questions about how the environmental community can move beyond the mere message and impart enduring social values and practical lessons to be carried on in the public’s lives.
Overall, it was an amazing kick off to the Clean Energy Now! Tour that is sure to unite diverse communities and spark the energy needed to push our country, and our world toward a sustainable clean energy economy that will create millions of clean energy jobs.
