By Pendarvis Harshaw

Who would of thought that one day DJ Biz Markie would spin records in front of the US Capitol building in effort to save the environment… On Wednesday February 24th, that happened. And I was there.

News cameras flashed. Any news outlet you can name was on hand, as a solid contingency of all races and ages roared in support of an environmentally friendly economy. In the foreground was the Hip-Hop Caucus‘ bus- fresh from a road trip which spanned spanned from the boot shaped state of  Louisiana to the diamond shaped District of Columbia. And in the background, was the United States Capitol Building. A symbolic stance to say the least.

Continue reading HERE

By Omarion

Cross-Posted on BET.com and Huffington Post

Here’s an op-ed piece Omarion wrote on the importance of Clean Energy Education for the urban community:

Young people in America today have a right to be upset. A lot of people just out of high school or college are wondering about their futures when jobs are so hard to find. But in a time when our country has so many problems that appear unsolvable, we do have a solution that can make our communities more prosperous. We can take control of our energy future.

For decades, we’ve been spending hundreds of billions of dollars to buy oil from overseas. Outdated factories and dirty power plants are polluting our neighborhoods. Gasoline and electricity prices have skyrocketed. And all the while, big corporations and their lobbyists have fought against any changes to the current state of affairs.

But the good news is that the situation is not hopeless. We can make investments in clean energy that will reduce pollution, revitalize our neighborhoods and create new jobs.

Continue reading Article HERE

BET's Coverage of the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour event in Washington, DC:

By Sia Tiambi Barnes for IAM

In part two of a look at events organized by the Hip Hop Caucus (click here for coverage of the HHC’s response to Haiti), IAM joined President and CEO, Reverend Lennox Yearwood; DJ Biz Markie; actress Gloria Reuben; Congressman Andre Carson (D-IN); and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Lisa Jackson among others in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. It was the last stop on the Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour that was taken on a carbon neutral bus, included a team of college students, and was cosponsored byAlliance for Climate Protection’s Repower America campaign. HHC has adopted the green movement as one of their key platforms.

Continue reading HERE

“Give light and people will find the way.” This quote by civil rights leader Ella Baker sums up the last day of the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus tour. Baker mentored young civil rights stalwarts like Diane Nash, Stokely Carmichael, Rosa Parks and Bob Moses. Today, she would be proud as the new generation of activists rallied behind the need for clean energy jobs and their rights to economic equality in our nation’s capital.

Imagine it. After touring the nation and meeting with young people in urban  communities all along the way, the Hip Hop Caucus’ Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour brought its message of clean energy solutions to the steps of the Capitol for a closing rally.  The event began with music from DJ Biz Markie. His classic beats were heard around the Capitol as hip hop echoed off of our nation’s government buildings. As Biz began, a bus full of Howard University students marched up to the stage with Clean Energy Now! signs and appropriately took their place on the stage as one of the nation’s leading institutions.

The program began with youth activists, Kari Fulton from EJCC, Liz Starke, student activist from Michigan State University and William Kellibrew who represented the Black Youth Vote.  Together, these students amplified the diversity of today’s youth movement and the importance of a clean energy economy for their future prosperity.

Rev. Yearwood moderated the rally and introduced Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, who spoke of the importance of a clean energy economy to protect our air and provide clean water to all communities across the country, especially for young people and future generations. “The tour has been across the country listening to young voices calling for good jobs, lower energy costs and cleaner communities,” said Jackson. “This is the time to seize global leadership in clean energy innovation and answer the young people and urban communities who are asking for clean energy now.” Signs were raised, young people were cheering, and Washington was listening.

Following Administrator Jackson, movement leaders like Gary Flowers, Congressman Andre Carson, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green For All, and actress Gloria Reuben took the stage to explain how protecting the climate can help us to take back our streets by creating new businesses and regenerating the urban economy. Maggie Fox, CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection, amplified the importance of showing the diversity of this movement to Washington. “It is clear that our young people and communities of color will benefit greatly from the economic opportunities that come from investing in clean energy,” said Fox.

Today, the message was clear in Washington.  WE MUST ACT NOW! A clean energy economy means new jobs, less pollution and increased opportunities for our children and families. The clean energy movement is about taking control of our future and bringing opportunity to our communities.  Millions are out of work, and  Washington has the opportunity to create 1.9 million new jobs and rebuild our communities from the ground up by making a commitment to clean energy here in America.   The Hip Hop Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour shined a light upon the very real economic opportunities that will help fight poverty and pollution at the same time.

The south side of the Hill's reflecting pool received a splash of color in more ways than one on Wednesday. Young, multicultural Hip Hop Caucus organizers poured out of their neon-colored tour bus that had taken them from Little Rock, Ark. to Washington D.C. in less than a week, holding signs and chanting, "Clean Energy Now!" to the beats of Biz Markie.

Led by Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., the 700,000 member-strong Hip Hop Caucus gained attention in 2004 with its national "Vote or Die" campaign and since then has teamed up with various celebrities to bring political awareness to its target demographic: urban African-American youth.

Continue reading article HERE

The Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour makes its final stop in Washington DC. A chorus of voices including EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Phaedra of Green the Block, Maggie L. Fox, CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection, speak about the need to address climate change and transition to a clean energy economy.

Chrisette Michele speaks with the Hip Hop Caucus about fighting poverty and pollution at the same time:

While Columbus, Ohio was the last stop on our tour before making our way to Washington, DC, person after person at Columbus State Community College echoed the feeling that transitioning to a clean energy economy meant a new beginning for them.

Michelle Pershing, a veteran, outreach assistant, and energy auditor for Interfaith Power and Light, talked about how after retiring from the military after 26 years, she was looking for the next career in her life. When she started taking energy auditing classes, she realized, “Energy audits are a great way to link people with needs with jobs and the needs of the community with those people and those jobs.”

For a former offender named Parrish Searcy, the Orientation to Trade and Apprenticeship Programs (OTAP) that we visited also represented a new beginning. As a former offender, OTAP gave him new options and opportunities that have allowed him to develop a career that he is proud of.

Watch Video of Parrish and Michelle HERE

It is with that spirit of new beginnings and new opportunities in mind that we make our way to Washington, DC.  Clean energy represents a cleaner planet, millions of new jobs across the country and renewed hope for millions of Americans.

Help us spread the word and share your voice in support of transitioning to a clean energy economy. Come to our event Wednesday at Noon in Washington, DC.

For more information on tour events visit www.hiphopcaucus.org/bustour

Columbus State Community College is helping create the clean energy workforce of the present and future:

The Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour stopped in Indiana on Monday, and over the course of the day the bus connected with people who covered almost every demographic of the clean energy movement. The diversity in background and reasons for supporting a transition to a clean energy economy certainly stood out on this trip. As Kevin Patrick, a second-generation sheet metal worker in Indianapolis put it bluntly, “being environmentally conscious isn’t just for hippies anymore.”

He’s not wrong. The need to transition to a clean energy economy is so strong that during a tour of the Sheet Metal Workers Local #20 Training Facility, we saw something rare: management and workers agreeing with each other. Both workers and management badly want jobs for Indianapolis that will stay in Indianapolis, and both see transitioning to a clean energy economy as the best way to create those jobs.

Later, at a radio interview for Radio One, host Amos Brown challenged both the Hip Hop Caucus and Repower America together to further amplify the voices of communities of color emphasizing the need to put clean energy jobs in the very neighborhoods where dirty energy polluted these neighborhoods.

In the afternoon, Biz Markie rejoined the Clean Energy Now! Bus at Bloomington, Indiana where we stopped for a student forum at Indiana University. The panel included Rev. Yearwood, Biz Markie, and Indiana University professors and students who responded to audience questions about how they could get involved in the movement, do their part to save money on energy bills and how to protect their environment. Here, it was Rev. Yearwood who issued the challenge, asking students gathered in the auditorium to organize and fight for their future.

Labor, management, communities of color, students and young people, all calling for America to transition to a clean energy economy? That is what we call a movement.

Today, we land in Columbus, Ohio before we embark on the home stretch of our trip. Look out DC, we’re coming your way!

Our bus tour continued on to St. Louis, Missouri on Sunday morning for the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour. Spirits were high at the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church where Rev. Lennox Yearwood and the rest of the team attended services with thousands of congregational members.

Pastor Michael Jones led the congregation in a rousing sermon about the biblical story of three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who stood up against Nebuchadnezzar. Later, Rev. Yearwood took the stage and equated these historical figures’ stance to the fight against lobbyists of dirty energy industries and special interests in Washington (see video below). Today, the clean energy movement provides a historical moment to stand for lasting social justice, and it will take the courage and endurance of all our clean energy fighters and champions.

As the bus said goodbye to Missouri following the service at Friendly Temple, Rev. Yearwood took a few minutes to do an online interview with bloggers (watch video HERE). During the interview, he touched on how important it is for depressed communities to transition to a clean energy economy, as it could create as many as 29,000 jobs in Missouri for both entry-level workers and experienced professionals. These are jobs that cannot be outsourced.

The tour will be in Indianapolis today for a site visit of a sheet metal workers training facility and press conference. Later in the day, the tour will arrive at Indiana University in Bloomington for performances from Biz Markie and a student panel discussion. Hoosier students are already fired up!

Rev. Yearwood addresses Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis, MO

Rev. Yearwood's interview with ShowMeProgress.com en route to Indiana:

Today the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour arrived in Columbia, Missouri at the 5th Street Christian Church, a historic 140 year old church built 10 years after slavery ended, for a Neighborhood Home Efficiency Canvass.

State Representatives, community leaders, University of students, including members of Community About Raising Excellence and Mizzou Black Men’s Initiative,  and local volunteers distributed home efficiency kits and application forms to apply for energy efficiency grants to members of the community. 

Each home efficiency kit contained a shower head, window insulation, and compact fluorescent light bulbs that will save each family approximately $350 per year. To put that number in perspective, over the course of one cold and rainy hour, the volunteers distributed 100 of these kits, saving the community around $35,000.

People knew that energy efficiency was important, but after listening to Rev.Yearwood, and local State Representatives Stephen Webber and Chris Kelly, the concept that small changes could make  a big impact really hit home.

“Last month we had the biggest utility bill we’d ever seen. It was like $375 and I didn’t feel like I was doing anything different from my normal routine,” said Terry Dennis, Mizzou wide receiver and member of the student-athlete organization Community About Raising Excellence (C.A.R.E.). “I’m always searching for little ways – and I hear my mom talk about it or my roommates talk about it, maybe unplug this, or turn this off. All these little things that I could do to save money, because honestly, I get a lot of help from my mother in paying for college and I feel like it’s my obligation to my mother to not make it so hard on her.”

Those in attendance were eager to learn about more ways to get involved in the clean energy movement and ways they could help their community save money on utility bills.

Mizzou Tiger Wide Receiver, Terry Dennis, explains why clean energy will help families save money on their utility bills and ensure that the environment is preserved for future generations.

On Saturday afternoon freshmen Edith Lopez and Sterling Summerville trudged through the rain, passing out home weatherization kits that will conserve energy in Columbia resident’s homes.

The MU athletes were participating in the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour, a program that promotes the importance of a clean energy economy. Armed with only their sports sweatshirts and handful of kits, Lopez and Summerville made their way throughout North Columbia.

They explained to residents how using energy-conserving products in their homes could lower their utility bills and help sustain the environment for future generations, and they promised the products would require no more than a screwdriver or blow dryer to install.

Continue reading article here.

Shawnae Daniels, a student at Philander Smith College, talks about importance of transitioning to a clean energy economy:

Watch Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour coverage from KTHV Little Rock, AR:

Rev. Yearwood being interviewed by CBS Affiliate in local Little Rock, Arkansas:

The Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour said farewell to New Orleans Friday morning and 450 miles later arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas in the late afternoon ready to engage Philander Smith College and Arkansas Baptist later in the evening.

One of the the largest impressions of the events at Philander Smith College and Arkansas Baptist College, was the incredible show of energy and enthusiasm. And as the speakers explained how transitioning to a clean energy economy would help them, the enthusiasm grew even stronger.

With comprehensive energy and climate legislation, we could create as many as 25,000 jobs in Arkansas and save Arkansas households up to $1,230 per year, by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and providing incentives for energy efficiency.

We can create 1.9 million new jobs across America and rebuild our communities from the ground up by making a commitment to clean energy and even simple steps like weatherization can save families 32% on their energy bills. “This is practical policy,” said Rev. Yearwood. “But, if we don’t come together to help shape policy, policy will shape us.”

By the end of the event at Arkansas Baptist, people were lining up to share their support for clean energy on the Repower Wall and two students were so inspired by Rev. Yearwood, State Senator Joyce Elliott and the rest of the speakers that they took clipboards from staff and signed up every one of their classmates to join the campaign.

Saturday, the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour rolls up into Missouri, we’re looking forward to seeing you there!

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.

Rev. Yearwood talks about the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour at his barbershop in DC

By Gloria Reuben

Cross Posted on Huffington Post

Today, more people are talking about clean energy than ever before. On one level, we're talking about technology like windmills, solar panels and advanced electric power grids. We all know that these are the technologies that can deliver safe, clean and affordable energy to our homes and businesses. But we must also go to a deeper level when we talk about clean energy. A human level.

In my work as an actress and an activist, I've spent many years working with low income communities and people of color who don't always have a voice in our political process.

I've traveled to small towns where I've seen the terrible health consequences from environmental pollution. I've seen communities in West Virginia that once were vibrant and now are ghost towns. I met a remarkable young Native American woman who went to Capitol Hill to tell her story about a community dominated by oil refineries where there are also high rates of cancer.

When dirty, old-fashioned energy sources pollute our air and water, it becomes a blatant public health problem -- one that is especially burdensome for low income and minority groups. When a community doesn't have strong financial resources or political clout, the people who live there are often victims of environmental injustice. Corporations are poisoning our air and water, while at the same time lining the pockets of elected officials with political contributions.

Meanwhile, our communities are in dire economic straits. During this difficult financial time, the demographic hit the hardest is people with an annual household income of $12,499 or less. In this group, the recent unemployment rate is 30%.

We have to stop this madness. This is not America as it should be.

That's why the clean energy movement is about empowering these communities. It's about giving them a voice.

That's why I'm excited to join the Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Bus Tour, which kicks off in New Orleans this Thursday Feb. 18th, and will make its way to Washington, D.C. The tour is bringing together young people, communities of color, people of faith, entertainers and business leaders. What unites these diverse groups is their call for a transition to clean energy.

We all need a little more hope these days and clean energy is about putting hope into action.

Continue reading Gloria Reuben's article HERE

Entertainers, elected leaders, activists and performers get on the bus to promote a clean energy economy

WASHINGTON, D.C.--The Alliance for Climate Protection’s Repower America campaign is teaming up with the Hip Hop Caucus on a bus tour that will bring together leaders from the faith, business, and climate communities alongside entertainers and prominent figures, including DJ Biz Markie, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, actress Gloria Reuben, performer D. Woods and many others. The Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour will assemble diverse participants to amplify the voices of the young people and communities of color that are calling for a transition to a clean energy economy. The Hip Hop Caucus Tour kicks off this week in New Orleans on Thursday, February 18 and rolls through Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and the District of Columbia for a variety of events including community rallies, roundtables on college campuses, tours of clean energy job sites and musical events.

• Little Rock, AR: Friday, February 19
• Columbia, MO: Saturday, February 20
• Indianapolis, IN: Sunday & Monday, February 21-22
• Bloomington, IN: Monday, February 22
• Columbus, OH: Tuesday, February 23
• Washington, DC: Tuesday-Wednesday, February 23-24

“The Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour will amplify and unite the voices of young people, African Americans, the Hip Hop community, and the faith community, around the critical need for clean energy jobs now and a clean energy future for our country,” said Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., President of the Hip Hop Caucus. “We are excited to work with the Alliance for Climate Protection and numerous national and local partners on this historic effort. We anticipate this tour will go a long way to educate and mobilize communities for a brighter future through policy that will reduce poverty and pollution at the same time.”

“Our partnership is proof positive that people from all walks of life are united in their support for a shared clean energy future,” said Maggie L. Fox, President and CEO of The Alliance for Climate Protection. “It is clear that our young people and communities of color will benefit greatly from the economic opportunities that come from investing in clean energy. Together, we support comprehensive new energy policies that will start us on the path to creating millions of new jobs, reducing our dependence on foreign oil and stopping the devastating effects of carbon pollution.”

“The clean energy choices we make today will have a profound impact on the environment of our young people and communities of color — the very people this tour is bringing together and the voices we need to hear,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We’re going out and meeting people where they live, work and learn to talk about how we create clean energy jobs, protect our planet, and break our dependence on foreign
oil.”

Studies show that clean energy investments will create up to 1.9 million new jobs, including those for entry-level workers, professionals and entrepreneurs. Investments in building insulation and other efficiency improvements will cut down on energy bills for low-income families. Moreover, limits on pollution will reduce medical bills and protect communities from the ravages of global warming.

Continue reading article HERE

By Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. and Rev. Jesse Jackson

Cross-posted on Huffington Post

Our country, and the world, faces the duel crisis of a failed American economy and climate change that threatens life on this planet as we know it.

Poor people and people of color are feeling the adverse impacts of climate change first and worst, from rising energy prices, to increases in heat-related illnesses. Ultimately, however, the destruction resulting from our planet's rising temperature will not be discerning of national borders, a family's yearly income, or the hue of one's skin.

It is similar to what we are all experiencing in these difficult economic times. No matter the race of a worker, when the lights are turned off for the last time in the manufacturing plant, or in any business for that matter, suddenly we amazingly look alike.

We as a nation, must commit to an inclusive transition to a clean energy economy, by decreasing our dependence on dirty fossil fuels, investing in new clean-energy technologies, and putting the people who most need jobs back to work. Our leaders must take urgent action -- this year -- to put us on a path to a prosperous clean energy future.

This is not a new call to action. We have been hearing experts, business leaders, and p oliticians talk about addressing climate change for a while now. Last year the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Now the Senate is debating whether they too will pass a clean energy jobs bill.

At the start of Black History Month, ten years into the 21st century, it is time for the African American community to have their voices heard on this issue. For too long communities of color have not seen climate change as their problem but we must now be a part of the solution.

African American's historical struggle for economic opportunity inherently ties into the necessary global effort to reduce CO2 emissions and stop climate change. This was a topic that we discussed at the recent 13th Annual Rainbow PUSH Wall Street Project Economic Summit in New York, and a topic that we will be mobilizing African American communities and young people around on the upcom ing "Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! Tour".

Continue Reading Article HERE