My background was one in which I came from a very spiritual background. Yearwood to chat about social justice, Christianity, his spiritual journey to fighting for underserved communities, and what’s up next for the Hip Hop Caucus. Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.No Fields Found. But I believe very strongly in helping people, and I could feel a definite call when I was finishing up my last term. In 2007, the Hip Hop Caucus began to address the issues of violence, alleged police brutality, and hate crimes. The group is a member of the Black Leadership Forum and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Yeah, yeah. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, the Hip Hop Caucus created HipHopHelpHaiti.org, a network aimed at helping people to take action in response to the crisis. Climate change is not a Democrat issue or a Republican Issue.

It all sounds heroic, but at the time it was very much a situation with my lifestyle of being a middle class, African-American with two very small children. Then, once you get to the bottom and you feel vulnerable, you can connect. Yearwood and the Hip Hop Caucus organized partnerships with national and grassroots organizations to advocate for the rights of Hurricane Katrina survivors. I mean, there’s story upon story upon story upon story, even to the very end with the thief on the cross. It wasn’t the best career move. I think there’s nothing more Christian than having social justice. Green the Block has helped organize over 100 community service projects in cities around the U.S. including Memphis, Tennessee,[21] Oakland, California,[22] Washington, D.C.,[23] and Miami. Rev. The Hip Hop Caucus (HHC) is a national, non-profit organization in the United States, which aims to promote political activism for young U.S. voters using hip-hop music and culture. Rev. The group's programs are intended to promote social and political equality in the areas of economics, education, health care, housing, the environment and social justice. To me, if your faith is not connected to justice, it doesn’t have the kind of power that it could have with a faith based upon justice and freedom. Radio One stations broadcast live from central locations in each of the participating cities urging unregistered voters to attend their local registration site to register onsite. June 28–30, 2010 the Hip Hop Caucus Education Fund and the National Conference of Black Mayors hosted the "Green the City Advocacy Summit" that brought 25 mayors to Washington, DC, to attend a "Green the City" campaign and to meet with members of the United States Congress, Obama administration officials, and heads of the United States Environmental Protection Agency to advocate for sustainable energy in the U.S.[26][27], On November 7, 2005, Rev. This campaign is aimed at promoting activism for sustainable energy in low-income communities of color.[18]. [citation needed]. Able To Vote After Felony Weapons Conviction? My mom has her Ph.D. in psychology, and my dad a Ph.D. in African and social studies — he was a dean at Howard. We’re going to get out the vote. The "Make Hip-Hop Not War" campaign received the Walter E. Fauntroy No FEAR Institute Award on May 14, 2008 for its efforts to speak out against the government and war-supporting institutions. ", "Civic Responsibility Set to T.I. The Hip Hop Caucus launched the "Make Hip-Hop Not War" campaign in 2007 aiming to promote activism in the anti-war movement for young people.

The event was held on Juneteenth (June 19, 2007), in order to symbolically link the emancipation of slaves in the U.S. and the current situation at Guantanamo Bay. We want to make sure that whoever is in office, Democratic or Republican or Independent, we’re able to hold you accountable and measurable.

We take a lot of pride in being nonpartisan. It wasn’t so much that I was in a situation that I had something that went wrong, so to speak, and was called into ministry. When I went to seminary, my first calling was to go and teach. Tour gives energy-conservation kits to Columbia", "Hip Hop Caucus event teaches students to create a greener environment", "Hip Hop Caucus and Green For All Launch Major Urban Green Initiative", "Memphis- Green The Block Event (Memphis)", "Drake Pledges To "Green His Block" - Ecorazzi", "4000 Young People Protest Police Brutality on 11/17 in DC", "Activists Converge on Washington, D.C., for Weekend of Protest Against Hate Crimes, Police Brutality", "Hip-Hop Caucus - Make Hip-Hop Not War Tour Schedule", "Common, 'Trouble in the Water': Exclusive Song Premiere", "AllHipHop » Common, Ne-Yo, Elle Varner & More To Appear On Hip Hop Caucus' "Home" Album", "Mobilizing Youth Through Hip Hop To Fight Climate Change", "Common, Ne-Yo, Elle Varner & More To Appear On Hip Hop Caucus' "Home" Album", "Here's your anthem for the People's Climate March", Hip-Hop Caucus Supreme Justice National Bus Tour, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hip_Hop_Caucus&oldid=931061473, Non-profit organizations based in the United States, Articles with dead external links from November 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2010, Articles needing additional references from November 2014, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 December 2019, at 18:41.

Follow Unfollow Following. You know, I didn’t know my journey. The march attracted 150 participants, including many displaced residents. Launched in 2010 as a joint campaign between the National Conference of Black Mayors and the Hip Hop Caucus Education Fund, Green the City works with African American mayors and city residents to promote activism for sustainable energy. 35 Senior High School in New Orleans, LA. Urban Faith is your online destination for relevant and stimulating conversations about news, faith and culture.

Lennox Yearwood Jr. is the President & CEO of Hip Hop Caucus, a minister, community activist, U.S. Air Force veteran, and one of the most influential people in Hip Hop political life. This crisis is complex. “Neighborhood Sun” is a registered trademark of Neighborhood Sun Benefit Corp. I was also SGA president when I was at divinity school too, but in my second term I began going to homeless ministries here in Washington, DC, and was also very dedicated to working with young people, and a more of social justice type of ministry.

For more than a decade, Rev. We’re going to continue that. Just last year, our “Respect My Vote” campaign celebrated ten years, which is exciting. Is the Hip Hop Caucus doing a bus tour again?

I think we all want clean air and we want clean water.

For more than a decade, Rev. It doesn’t matter if you’re Republican or Democratic if you want clean air. Hip-Hop artists and community activists gathered with youth, parents and other citizens, aiming to address the issue of gun violence in the city. [34][35][36][37][38][39], Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, historically black colleges and universities, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "How Was T.I. In 2003 and 2004 he was the Political and Grassroots Director for Russell Simmons' Hip Hop Summit Action Network, as well as a Senior Consultant to Jay-Z's Citizen Change "Voice Your Choice" campaign. My privilege of being an SGA president or being on a basketball team. Right now, we’re very concerned about what’s going on with the voter suppression and what we saw in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. What are your plans for the 2020 Presidential election? The 500 member online network is updated periodically and provides information on people can be involved and provide assistance to the Haitian population. The informational briefing and concert was intended to raise awareness on human rights and the events that took place at Guantanamo Bay. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. What was your spiritual journey? We are still assisting customers and individuals interested in saving money on their electricity bill with shared solar energy. The Hip Hop Caucus' Respect My Vote! The first single from the album, "Mercy Mercy Me" by recording artist Antonique Smith has been released. Not in charity, but in solidarity with those who have been oppressed. Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team. Neighborhood Sun is located at 8121 Georgia Ave. Suite 300 Silver Spring, MD 20910 I grew up around the church, so the Christian faith was not something that was unusual. Events have included the "Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now Tour", with the Alliance for Climate Protection[14][15][16] and the "Historically Black College and University Tour" with the National Wildlife Federation[17], "Green the Block" is a national campaign and coalition created by the Hip Hop Caucus and Green For All. Federal max income guidelines for Low-Income SHARE residents. In 2008, the Hip Hop Caucus and the hip hop artist T.I. We’ve been very blessed doing that for the past 10 years. Lennox Yearwood Jr., President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, is a minister, community activist and one of the most influential people in Hip Hop political life. In 2003 and 2004 he was the Political and Grassroots Director for Russell Simmons ' Hip Hop Summit Action Network , as well as a Senior Consultant to Jay-Z's Citizen Change "Voice Your Choice" campaign. You can book a call at a time that's convenient for you! I was a chaplain, and I began to speak out against the war while I was in the Air Force — I was in the Reserves on the weekends. The campaign focused on the affected areas of the Gulf Coast including Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. So it wasn’t a long stretch for me to go that way at all, and to teach. The Hip Hop Caucus is the result of four voter drive organizations merging back in 2004: Russell Simmons’ Hip Hop Summit Action Network, P. Diddy’s Citizen Change (“Vote Or Die!”), Jay Z’s “Voice Your Choice,” and AFL-CIO’s “Hip Hop Voices.” It was the force behind the 2008 “Respect My Vote!” campaign, which touted registering the most voters in one day: 32,000 people across 16 U.S. cities. What led you to do what you do? But we didn’t. I  literally put it on the line for what I believe and trust in God that I was doing the right thing. Lennox Yearwood Jr., President & CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus is a former co-creator of P. Diddy's "Vote or Die" campaign of 2004.

“If this committee and both chambers don’t urgently come together, put the people of this country first, put God first and put your political party to the side to solve climate change, we don’t make it beyond 12 years from now without huge amounts of death, destruction, and suffering.”. Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. My privilege of going to good schools. 's Hip-Hop Beat", "Young Urban Voters in the Midterm Election Year of 20061", "Respect My Vote Campaign Reaches Thouands During Nationwide One-Day Voter Registration Drive", "Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! The campaign, which was launched at the White House[19][20] on President Barack Obama's birthday (August 4, 2009), aims to educate and encourage people to take better care of the environment.