Month: June 2021

Racism is a public health crisis that fuels the Black community’s lack of trust in the government. Incidents such as the Tuskegee experiment and the Flint water crisis are examples of environmental racism, also categorized as genocide. Rev Yearwood speaks with Elise Tolbert, Founder and Executive Director of Next Step Up and the Deputy Director of Partner Engagement at Climate Action Campaign. Elise and Rev Yearwood discuss the need for young leadership, Black mental health, and the challenge to thrive in a society built to destroy you.

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The producers of The Coolest Show (DeJuan Cross, Destiny Hodges, and Tamara Toles O’Laughlin) give listeners an inside look at the production of the show. Rev Yearwood guides them through a critical conversation on: why spaces like The Coolest Show are needed to speak truth to power; the importance of prioritizing a Black audience for a climate podcast; and “lifting up the struggle while it’s evolving.”

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Institutionalized groups want young, Black, and Indigenous organizers to be inspirational and play a superficial role. But oftentimes, they don’t want to fund their work to effectively dismantle systems of oppression. It is easier to do the work that coddles one’s privilege because they don’t have to confront their privilege or the realities that communities first and foremost affected are experiencing. Rev Yearwood speaks with Isha Clarke, Co-founder of Youth Vs Apocalypse, and Aniya Butler, Hip Hop & Climate Justice coordinator. They share with us the struggle to gain funding and support for young people-led organizations; the importance of doing radical (root-addressing) work; and taking power out of systems of oppression and putting them into community-led solutions that center liberation.

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The fight for fair equity and access to appropriate resources has been an uphill battle for many organizations started in black communities. Funders have historically not trusted black organizations, resulting in folks doing twice the work for a small percentage of any available support. Rev Yearwood Speaks with Natalie Mebane, Associate Director of U.S. Policy at 350.org. Natalie shares her origins in the movement, the culture in her home of Trinidad and Tobago, using privilege to help the environment, and how white led organizations should strive to become equitable and diverse workplaces.

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