Pathways SU24 Digital Magazine

CULTIVATING COMPASSION

Black and Brown Voices... ...continued from page 19

More holistically, Biden’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) prioritized the long-term creation of new, clean energy jobs for com - munities that are transitioning from an economy based on fossil fu- els. The full effects of similar investments are just beginning to make waves. Experts say the IRA’s clean energy and climate provisions have already created more than 170,000 clean energy jobs. Over the next decade, we can anticipate the creation of another 1.5 million addition - al jobs. We must continue this momentum for the betterment of the plan- et and equitable community advancement, which is best facilitated through voting. We at the Hip Hop Caucus understand the value of mobilizing communities of color for the causes they care about, and environmental justice is a top priority. Environmental justice is racial justice, and voters know that. Study after study demonstrates Black and brown communities care deeply about the impacts of environmental policy. Data from the Brookings Institution show that “88% of Black voters are concerned about cli - mate change to some degree. That’s 9.6 percentage points higher than the national average of 78.4%, and 12 percentage points higher than white voters alone.” We know people are tired of being told to vote. That is why we cen- ter our organizing efforts on the issues that present the greatest chal - lenges to communities of color. We mobilize people power towards policy solutions that are achievable through voting. Our award-winning campaign, Respect My Vote! , drives youth po- litical engagement around economic, environmental, and civil rights issues that disproportionately burden communities of color. First launched in 2008, Respect My Vote! has grown ever since. Working with the likes of Keke Palmer and Ty Dolla $ign, Respect My Vote! centers its youth-led mobilization at HBCUs (historically Black col - leges and universities), PBIs (predominantly Black institutions), and MSIs (minority serving institutions) across the country to drive polit - ical participation that will move the needle on policies most affecting BIPOC. Respect My Vote! makes elections more accessible. We break down elections with the “What’s On Your Ballot?” tool, and answer common FAQs about polling locations and voting registration. Additionally, we educate people with a felony on their voting rights . Across multiple spheres, we provide and engage young people with our hub of infor- mation reclaiming our vote to impact the decisions that affect their communities. Campaigns like Respect My Vote! are necessary in today’s political landscape. As a democracy, voting is an actionable tool through which we can impact the issues that matter most to us and affect us daily. We need to empower BIPOC Americans by walking them through the process, dispelling myths, and making sure they are ready with all they need to cast their ballot. Only then can we feel reassured that our cultural expressions will shape our civic experiences. To advance without the voices and voting power of BIPOC Americans would be a grave injustice. Our organization has mobilized hundreds of thousands of young BIPOC voters for the past 20 years — moving the needle on power and policy via empowering art and informative storytelling. Grounded in the power of storytelling centering Black and brown experiences, The Coolest Show podcast hosts conversations with fresh perspec- tives amplifying climate racial justice activism; from Black organiz - ers in Alaska to Greening the Urban Jungle in LA. Our short film, the “Underwater Projects,” charts the dangerously overflowing waters of a sinking historically Black public housing community in Norfolk, Vir -

ginia. Beyond being selected and streamed by the Social Justice Now Film Festival, the DC Environmental Film Festival, and ESSENCE Film Festival, the film is rallying support for the community in their fight for change. Through our voices, our vote, we have the power to participate in the creation of a safer, cleaner world that doesn’t leave anyone behind. We must all stand up to the suppression of people power through vot- ing restrictions and mobilize communities most affected to make their voices count. Now more than ever, each election is another chance to listen to Black and brown communities who are taking a stand against pol - lution and environmental racism. It’s time for frontline constituents inhabiting environmental desolation to be recognized as the power - ful solution-holders who understand that environmental and climate justice must be reflected in our laws and policies. It is imperative to protect the vote, and center marginalized voices. This struggle is a winnable war from which our entire planet can benefit. Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. is the President & CEO of Hip Hop Caucus. He hosts the award-winning climate and environmental justice podcast The Coolest Show, is Senior Advisor of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Beyond Petrochemicals Campaign, and one of the most innovative advocates and strategists for racial justice and climate justice. He is a White House Champion of Change for Climate Leadership and Rolling Stone called him a “New Green Hero.” His work has also been featured on Billboard, CNN, EBONY Magazine, Fast Company, The Guardian, HuffPost, The Nation, The New York Times, NPR, PBS NewsHour, POLITICO, REVOLT TV, The Washington Post and more. www.hiphopcaucus.org. Cam MacQueen is the creator and manager of the “Cultivating Compassion” col - umn. She can be reached at ncm.advocacy@gmail.com. Rev Yearwood Jr. (Left) and Colette McEachin (Right), wife of the late Congressman McEachin, present the 2024 A. Donald McEachin Award to U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) for exemplary leadership on racial & environmental justice on behalf of disadvantaged communities.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: • Register to vote and check your registration status at RespectMyVote.com • Research the candidates up and down the ballot and their platforms • Volunteer for a campaign or with an organization around an issue that is important to you • Donate to a campaign or cause you care about • Recruit friends & family to mobilize and vote!

• Listen to The Coolest Show podcast for the latest on the climate crisis & environmental justice

• Join Hip Hop Caucus' climate community: text 'CLIMATE' to 79591

20—PATHWAYS—Summer 24

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