As we celebrate Pride Month 2023, we remember the countless Black, Brown, and Indigenous LGBTQ+ people who paid the ultimate sacrifice (in many cases, unwillingly) so that future generations could invite in the world freely. We also uplift our sung and unsung champions who fight tirelessly for all of us while standing holistically and unapologetically in their truth.
Since we’ve launched The Coolest Show in 2018, we have featured more than 20 conversations with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer guests. In those conversations, the guests demonstrate so effortlessly what we already know—LGBTQ+ people of color have been at the forefront of almost every movement to improve humankind, and the environmental justice moment is no different. In this collection below, we highlight 11 Coolest Show guests who continue to champion the fight against the climate crisis.
Niel Leadon
Bahamian climate activist Niel Leadon speaks with Rev Yearwood about several Caribbean countries demanding reparations and severing ties with “The Crown”. They discuss how colorism is more of a problem in the Caribbean than racism and the solidarity between Black Americans and Caribbeans dealing with the movement for Black lives.
Jerome Foster II
The development and influence of the climate strike movement has led to the tokenization and tolerance of young people. After growing up through 9/11, the 2008 recession, mass shootings, Trump era politics, COVID-19, and more Generation Z has a radical mindset about solutions and are burning out due to a lack of change. Climate activist Jerome Foster II speaks to Rev Yearwood about imposter syndrome, fossil fuels as a threat to national security, and the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WEJAC).
Arielle King
It is no secret that white institutions are anti-Black and hoard resources, often forcing Black students to endure the harm of these spaces when seeking tools to support their communities. Leaving your community to acquire resources does not mean that you have to lose yourself or your values. Environmental and climate justice advocate Arielle King speaks to Rev Yearwood about how she was able to find and build safe spaces to center her “why.”
Dontay Wimberly
Hip Hop Caucus defines “movement music” as songs that speak to the ills of society, incorporate calls to action, empower people, and/or connect to social movements. Art is a medium to reimagine systems and challenge the status quo. YBCL artist Dontay Wimberly speaks to Rev Yearwood about artivism, unlearning systems of oppression, and his new album “Rituals.”
Shalanda Baker
Coolest Show Host Rev Yearwood speaks with Shalanda Baker, the deputy director for energy justice in the Department of Energy. Shalanda shares with us her journey living through Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and what prepared her to lead the fight for energy justice. The impact of allocating resources and including environmental justice communities in the restructuring plans.
Thomas Lopez Jr.
Thomas Lopez Jr. is an activist, water protector, defender, and the Partnerships Coordinator for Future Coalition. We caught up with him to discuss tokenization, cultural assimilation of Indigenous people, and how assimilation affected the lost in values and traditions for the next generation.
Destiny Harris
Destiny Harris is a Black queer organizer, artist, abolitionist, and poet from the West Side of Chicago. We caught up with her to discuss the history of redlining and segregation in Chicago, being a 21st century abolitionist, and her top 5 Chicago artists.
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta is the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color and one of the youngest members elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. We caught up with him to discuss multi-issued causes, voter suppression, and a Just Transition.
Jamie Margolin
Young climate activists carry the weight of the world on their shoulders in a world that is ever presenting new crises and challenges. Jamie Margolin is the co-founder of This Is Zero Hour and author of Youth to Power: Your Voice and How to Use It. We caught up with her to discuss 21st century activism, colonialism and the climate crisis, intersectional environmentalism, and her book.
Vic Barrett
On this episode, we recorded in front of a live audience at Netroots Nation. We were joined by Vic Barrett of Our Children’s Trust, the incredible youth climate group that sued the federal government over damages caused by climate change. We discussed what it is like being young and powerful in this movement and what it means to be suing your government for denying you from your life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
Darnell Grisby
Darnell Grisby is the Executive Director of TransForm and a national thought leader in transportation policy and the mobility justice movement. Highways are one of the most racist monuments in American history. When we talk about where and how transportation is sited, we must address the legacy of racist policies and practices created to segregate and disenfranchise communities. Transportation justice is about abolishing pollution in communities, it is also very much about the privilege of mobility, and Darnell Grisby expertly breaks it all down for us in this final episode of this special series.
