The Power of Culture with Reverend Lennox Yearwood

Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr. joins us for a thought-provoking conversation about culture, advocacy and much more. President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus and host of The Coolest Show podcast, Yearwood's activism was spurred by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which highlighted the need to address climate issues in his community. 

Our conversation delves into his philosophy that culture is central to effective activism, describing how actions rooted in cultural engagement can bridge divides and rally communities. Yearwood discusses the Hip Hop Caucus's methods, like incorporating comedy and music into their campaigns, and emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing resistance when forming strategies. 

We get into how the white-dominance of the environmental movement dampens its reach and power, and Reverend Yearwood touches on his philanthropic work which aims to redirect resources to marginalized communities.  The dialogue highlights the integral link between culture and systemic change and underscores the importance of genuine, diverse engagement in advocacy efforts.

Show Notes: 

Follow Rev Yearwood on BlueSky at @revyearwood.bsky.social

Organizations & projects brought up in today’s episode:  

Hip Hop Caucus

The Coolest Show

Bank Black and Green 

Underwater Projects

Green 2.0

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Contact: Contact@PrismaticStrategiesLLC.com
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Transcript

The Power of Culture with Reverend Lennox Yearwood

[00:00:00] 

Pete Altman: to the campaign strategist. Joining us today is Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr, a nationally recognized leader and advocate for climate justice, civil rights, and social equity. As the president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus. Reverend Yearwood has bridged the gap between culture and activism, empowering [00:01:00] communities to fight for environmental solutions and systemic change. He also hosts the award winning and number one environmental justice podcast, the coolest show, which connects the climate crisis to black culture through solutions oriented conversations with leading figures in the climate and justice movements. Recognized as a champion of change by the Obama White House for his leadership on climate, a new green hero by Rolling Stone magazine, Reverend Yearwood continues to inspire a generation to take action on the most pressing issues of our time. Welcome, Rev. Thank you so much for being here 

Reverend Yearwood: I'm so glad to be here.

Pete Altman: You're a minister, an activist, a veteran, a philanthropist and founder of the hip hop caucus. Congratulations on the 20th anniversary, by the

Reverend Yearwood: thank you.

Pete Altman: how did you get started in environmental advocacy?

Reverend Yearwood: For me, it's, I mean, from where I'm from folks who don't know, I'm from, uh, Louisiana. Um, if you listen to this here in America, that's one of the great states, part of the union, uh, it's in the Southern part of the country. My parents, they went to Grambling [00:02:00] University, which was a HBCU. And then, you know, develop friendships and, and kinships and all the things you do in Louisiana. And then had friends who, and family who are in New Orleans. And when Katrina hit, um, in 2005, think that really crystallized for me.

The need to really respond to helping my community deal with the climate crisis. Probably wasn't as much of a climate crisis as it was me just responding to my community suffering. But as time will go on and I will see both the climate crisis and the impact but also my home state of Louisiana, the 85 mile stretch of land from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, which is now called Cancer Alley because of all the petrochemicals and industry that's there causing pollution, which is also creating the problem that we have with the climate crisis.

So all of that, I have been obviously aware. of environmental justice. but really I think it was in 2005, 2004 when I really kind of picked up the mantle to begin to fight for a better world.

Pete Altman: Last [00:03:00] week you were, uh, profiled in Forbes magazine, which also named you to its inaugural sustainability leaders list in 2023,

Reverend Yearwood: Yeah.

Pete Altman: they describe you as bridging culture, policy and activism. and I think it's fair to say that at least. In my experience, environmental groups tend to focus pretty much on policy and activism. it's a pretty approach to do the work through the lens of culture. what led you to make that a central, uh, Approach for the hip hop caucus.

Reverend Yearwood: Yeah. I mean, well, first, I mean, I think that's actually kind of unfortunate. I don't care who you are. I don't care what you're doing. All of our work must be done through culture. Culture is what shapes us. literally it is your, cultural expression that shapes your political experience.

And so, for me, culture is the thing. I mean, we're seeing that on both sides of the aisle, either on the left and definitely on the right. The right has definitely, I think, utilized culture in tremendous ways. And we're seeing that now, that it was all culture. People couldn't understand it. They were more consumed [00:04:00] around policy and other things regarding politics.

But didn't understand the power of culture and I think now many people are shocked By the outcome of that and they're wondering. Oh my god. How did that take place? It's culture It's there. It's culture is much more steeped where you're coming from what you believe in What makes you feel comfortable?

what you want to see in the future is culture What makes you love what makes you happy? What makes you dance culture? what brings a light in your life culture? So I think that not using culture to me is a void and so it's unfortunate that there are some groups Not just ej groups, but in the in the club movement in general that that have that use culture and also they use culture it's being used in a way that it's a lens.

It's not really something that is part of the prescription I would say. Just may date me but it used to be a time when you used to have sunglasses and then we'd clip on sunglasses and you would clip them on. But when you came on the inside, you would take off the clip on the balls off but now we have prescriptions when you're outside the lens gets darker when you go inside the lens gets lighter It's part of the [00:05:00] prescription and I think that's culture.

We need culture That's actually part of the prescriptions not just something you clip on and clip off And too many people are still trying to do that trying to clip on and clip off culture I think that for me was this normal and natural that came about from my background and Being from louisiana.

My parents are also from the caribbean which has a very strong culture as well So you combine all that together? And I think for me with just a normal thing That everything you do is built around your faith your food your music your love Everything that you do your clothing How you think how you walk how you talk Everything is based around culture.

you can't create change if you don't have culture

Pete Altman: This election really showed the power of culturally oriented engagement, reaching people in that way. I've rarely thought about it that way of trying to reach people through a cultural thing.

It's always been very sort of literal, explain the policy or explain the problem and what the policy solution is. And, you know, [00:06:00] therefore we need to do X, Y, or Z. Looking back, I feel like, yeah, we've been missing something in that engagement. Because you sort of limit yourself to an audience that's wants to be dialed in in that way that, has the space and time to read through something that's, you know, may not be all that exciting or doesn't engage the emotions very much. and it seems like a limiting 

factor.

Reverend Yearwood: I hope that changes. I mean, I think the one thing I think i've seen if I was to give the if I went to movement any advice I give I guess I give a lot of advice, but if I was to give them any advice It would be that you have to finally realize You are not in an argument.

You are in a fight. And I think that once they understand that they may proceed differently, they're trying to convince people they're bringing books and research when people are bringing knives and guns that may not be the time For that kind of discourse and so I think that it's very important for us to hopefully change that I also think something you [00:07:00] said it was very important.

I think that culture is not something that they're using It is who they are That is not, that is not, they're not utilizing, in other words, they're not looking for the music or poetry to be added on. It is, or religion, or their thought process, it's who they are, it's who they believe. And sometimes it's very dangerous, it's a very dangerous belief, but it's who they believe.

sometimes it is racist, they are, very much, they are, Very patriarchal. All these things are their belief, but they believe it to the core. And so it isn't that they're going to change. And so you have to understand that. And I think if you're looking to change them, that isn't what's going to work.

What you have to then do is then where there's some commonalities. I think that's where culture bridges the gap. for instance, I have a faith, that's part of who I am, and then other people have faith. We may see things differently, but maybe there's a, a roadmap to begin to have the conversations through faith, um, and do things and do things that are, that can then bring things together.

 my son played ice hockey. He is now a pro [00:08:00] ice hockey player over in Estonia with all the rankings with the junior hockey and then play college hockey and now he's a pro. But in that when he's in high school, he was in high school during the first Trump years and you know, a lot of people who think ice hockey, a lot of people who are Trump people love ice hockey.

It's kind of their sport. What I realized is that River, he's was a big person then is big now. He was like a six, three, six, four African American teenager. the people who was on his team loved him, they could be wearing Trump hats, they could be wearing Bernie hats. It didn't matter. They want the big black kid is on my team.

I want him. I want that guy and they didn't care. And it's an interesting thing that happened through that process that I realized that as fathers, as mothers, as parents, we were all on the same team. Yeah. Even for a little bit, there was a commonality and the culture was ice hockey or the culture was being a, uh, what is a hockey mom or hockey dad, but that was a culture and that came before anything else.

And I think that we need to learn. I think there are certain parts of our movement that have that [00:09:00] learned to just be who you are first and then allow your politics to then dictate what makes that person better.

Pete Altman: How do you do that? Is that like, is it a conscious sort of searching process or.

Reverend Yearwood: No, it's just who you are. It's again. It's just that's the thing. I think we we we we get caught up in the Dr. King said we get caught up in the process of analysis. It's too much in our movement. That's why we are missing out. I think we're trying to overthink.

I think it is who you are. What are you? Who are you? Is the question and actually it's a very important question. Who are you? What makes you you what do you love?

What makes you tick? What do you get excited about? And then in that what? Stops that from happening or what can make that better? What do you believe in, do you believe like me, I believe that, you know, young people should have a voice, I believe that people should be able to marry who they love, that's who I am, that's what I believe, and so in that, then I need to figure out the policies that can [00:10:00] enact that, but I'm never going to change that belief, that's who I am, a lot of times in our movement, we believe in the policies, but we actually don't know who we are And that's where the problem comes and that's where the movement doesn't have a real identity and we're seeing that And so when things happen, it's focused on the other side I actually think that I said before one of the key things for this movement Is to know one that it is a fight not an argument, but two Do what it does best what makes you why do people want to be around you?

You know, I love the beach. It's a big thing. World Oceans Day is June 8th. I love that day. That's one of my favorite. That's one of my favorite national days. and so people who love the beach and love the water will be more inclined to be with me. Now, I'm also against plastic.

I'm also against petrochemicals but in that, I think the thing that's more powerful is the beach and making our water clean. So, That will connect to more people than even me saying that I want to get rid of petrochemicals but then if you love the beach like I [00:11:00] do Then you don't want to have plastics.

You don't want to have petrochemicals. So there's a steps to how we can engage and then I love r& b. I love jazz, but I also love country, you know what i'm saying? I love blues and so people can come together And, and be together from all different walks of life. And that's what culture does. And I think the more that our movement begins to adopt a framework of culture and humanity, I think we can make change.

Pete Altman: starting from a cultural perspective, how do you go about shaping the campaigns and shaping the strategies hip hop caucus does?

Reverend Yearwood: So I think the key thing there for us now is that there are some broad strokes in culture. we are doing things that people want to be a part of. So comedy is a good example. So we know people love to laugh We know people love to engage so we actually did. a comedy show That was called ancient mama's heat wave and it brought comedians It brought it's just [00:12:00] funny how it sounds. It's literally that we brought comedians particularly they were all people of color and Brought them together to talk about the impact You We work with American University, fabulous school in Washington, D. C. to then study the impact from those jokes, if you go to the Hip Hop Caucus, you'll see, if it was Heat Wave, you can actually see the full report on how the jokes and the documentary that we did from that, how that impacted people thinking about climate change.

And so, literally using comedy, literally. as the cultural force and then connecting that to the issues, we're able to then generate impact and that's how that works. And so, and that actually leads to other things we've done. So recently, our most recent documentary was called Underwater Projects, which is kind of a mix of serious, issues.

documentary style along with comedy. we're in the Norfolk region. But then we got Wanda Sykes, who's probably one of the most brilliant comedians around. And then she's from Norfolk, from the area. And she narrated it. Now she's funny, just in [00:13:00] her talking. But it was just, so in that process we were, No, she's terrific.

And then we could get that so it made what it was normally the more you know usual documentary that could be kind of depressing and you're like, oh my god Well, i'm gonna well i'm just gonna perish here But then one of the stakes adds some levity to it I think that's the thing that using culture and many things obviously music and dance and art we've done that.

and then there's Things that Relate so just the hip hop itself is obviously a 50 year phenom. It's been around now for 50 years And so even in that people then can relate it so you not have generations folks who are literally in their 70s Who can connect to something to somebody who's literally in their teens and they both can connect as a part of hip hop They both can be like I love hip hop might be different may have different eras But they still can connect and that's why hip hop right now is a force in the 21st century 

Pete Altman: this is a 

podcast about sort of the nuts and bolts of campaigns and developing

Reverend Yearwood: Yeah

Pete Altman: [00:14:00] How do you define those terms, 

Reverend Yearwood: first a campaign is something in which you're trying to accomplish a goal varies in length and time and structure but it's it's obviously the campaign is to You There's a campaign to end gun violence, there's a campaign to, stop world hunger, there's a campaign to stop climate change, within that campaign, you've identified a problem, and then you begin to put things around it, and then strategy is literally how you do the campaign.

Strategy is the mechanisms for How the campaign actually gets done. So you can identify the campaign. The campaign is, could be large or small. But then the strategy is actually the, the nuts and bolts. It's literally that the strategy is, well, to, to end gun violence, we're going to, to do this.

This is where we're going to work on policy to end gun violence. We're going to educate our communities to end gun violence. We're going to hold the manufacturers accountable. It's part of campaign, but it's strategy then, and then some trade are easy to do and some are hard to do based [00:15:00] upon the resistance.

So you can have a good campaign, you have a great strategy, but depending on the resistance, which is the key issue, that depends if actually the campaign is done.

Pete Altman: And do you have a particular approach that you use for sorting out what the strategy should be for. Each campaign that you work on or is it more organic 

Reverend Yearwood: I want to, I wanna first find the resistance. I want to find out why this isn't being done that's first thing I want to find out How come? There's a there's a right now. There's a there's a campaign to put a stop sign in my area I want to figure out why they don't want that.

It seems right to me, but this, we ain't got the stop sign yet. So, there's a, there's a community whole thing, the meeting, having town hall, there's a whole thing. They, they're doing all the strategy, they're doing the little clipboards, they're getting name sign. We still ain't got that stop sign. and the reason for that is because my community was a farm community, and I didn't like a lot of stoplights and farms.

And so, there's a history. And so if you don't know the history of that that resistance they're like well [00:16:00] We don't want all those things because we'd like to just drive on through and we don't want to We don't want stop lights and stop signs and that kind of stuff because this is a Agricultural community that I live in when i'm doing a campaign.

I like to first hear the history And hear the resistance because that actually then creates the strategy that i'm gonna approach to this Because if you understand the resistance That you're dealing with Um, then you can actually see if you can meet or not meet your goals. 

Pete Altman: does that always end up being the thing you have to push against to make the change that you

Reverend Yearwood: Yeah, most definitely. there's an entity whose whole business plan means a death sentence to communities. They know that this is very clear. We've proven that we've had records of that. It's not new. And so when you're dealing with something.

That understands that they're not going to be pushed over It's a very Suicidal industry and also industry that understand it causes harm when you're dealing with that kind of industry They're not good again. This goes to my initial they're [00:17:00] not gonna just it's not gonna be just an argument You're gonna be in a fight because they're literally okay With the fact that well, their goal, their bottom line is to make money and so that as long as we do that, then we're going to be fine.

And so your campaign. must meet the resistance and your strategy for the campaign must deal with that and that's one of the things that I see a lot of times within our movement is that they're not understanding the opposition or resistance adequately and they want to demonize it to make it seem like evil and we get all that but really understanding magnitude of the resistance.

And this and to be honest and the climate industry and the climate in dealing with climate change there's really never been Um an industry like the fossil fuel industry. there's never been a global industry that the entire world needs to deal with but in a campaign, that might be your solution.

If you have a global industry, if you can find a [00:18:00] global solution that may be actually be the the strategy that actually defeats that industry. 

Pete Altman: in that particular case It seems like you've got to figure out to change the financial incentives because

Reverend Yearwood: Exactly.

Pete Altman: driver of what they're doing Which is hard to do. we often end up sort of focusing then on the intermediaries, elected officials who do the bidding of, or passing policy that supports the industry or them from being held accountable, 

Reverend Yearwood: politicians are just the night. And the rooks on the chessboard

Pete Altman: Right.

Reverend Yearwood: they ain't the king and the queens they have importance, but The game ain't won or lost by that and I think that once you understand that this is chess not checkers And understand what you're dealing with here and I think a lot of times that I mean we don't we we perceive like one This is the game of checkers When it's not there's much more strategy Each piece is not the same piece and two we give importance to pieces that don't have that much they are important But the game isn't one of one of one are lost by that And I do think the more that we can starve we can cut the the [00:19:00] money from the key pieces on the board then that's how the game is won If the game could be won is another thing.

I mean, that's part of why we need to have Great campaigns and great strategy to do that I've read an article in the New York Times, um, the other day and it was talking about one of the first meetings after the elections that, Donald Trump had.

and Mar a Lago and he had brought all these people together and he pointed to, the two richest people in the world, the one who started Oracle and the one who started Tesla. There's two billionaires who were in the room and he, he said to them, he says, well, he said to the room, he didn't say that I brought my money.

 The article says he didn't say I brought my political power now going to be re elected president He says I brought these two And then he looked at the room and says and what did you bring?

And that's what I think is understanding about power and strategy And what you actually are bringing and I think that our movement It's not asking the right questions What are you [00:20:00] bringing? Because that's also a key part of strategy if you don't know what you're bringing then you really don't have no strategy at all.

Pete Altman: Culture can also be kind of a blinder. a lot of us were blinded to Donald Trump's potential because He's so out of whack with what we consider to be norms, but he's a very, I don't know if I want to call him a strategist because

Reverend Yearwood: Oh, most definitely. 100%.

Pete Altman: a lot on him,

Reverend Yearwood: No, no. He is. Yeah.

Pete Altman: figured out a lot.

He really, he

Reverend Yearwood: Yeah.

Pete Altman: culture. He

Reverend Yearwood: the comedian, the comedian who was at the Madison Square Rally, who people give us an uproar about because he was disgusting, just to be very clear, I'm not gonna, you know, not say what it was, he was disgusting and his comments, his comments were against Puerto Rico and called it a trash heap and all the other things that were very negative to those amazing people.

And to our fellow countrymen because Puerto Rico is a part of america, one of the things that he did though that I didn't know most people didn't know who that comedian was We just thought this was just another comedian we now know that comedian has himself sold [00:21:00] out madison square garden That comedian has one of the most watched youtube Videos ever And as far as a comedy show, that comedian has a whole segment of the population that listens to Joe, Rogan and, Theo and that whole class.

What we didn't know, and that's the thing about it, that Trump knew. Is that the culture within that comedian, we wouldn't understand and be off put, but those who follow that comedian would be very impressed by that. So that's also understanding culture very clearly. with the, the Trump Bible, we would be like, that's ridiculous.

How could any, religion or any good standing person of faith, you know, I don't know if you want a Trump Bible, but to those communities that indicates to them that he's a part of their gang. And so I think that there's a lot of things that that were there that continues to beat very negative, very, um, hurtful drumbeats, but they are beating drum beats that are people and the one thing that you have to give Trump [00:22:00] credit for that he definitely knows how to count.

And in politics, the game is still 50 plus 1. It doesn't matter anything else. And so I think that that's a part of it. And that's why I'm saying that for strategy. which is key. That's all that really matters. It's not that it doesn't matter. The score is 3433. They score 33 points in the first half and we score 34 points in the second half.

It doesn't matter because we want all that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how bad we played. It wouldn't happen. It doesn't matter. As long as at the end of the game, the score is more points on our side than inside our side. I think it's caught up in thinking that strategy doesn't matter and that is how you play the game and if you lose the game or you don't have the right players, the right coaches or the right techniques.

It's still okay. No, it's not okay because it is in the score of the game 

Pete Altman: you focus on climate change, environmental justice, civil and human rights, economic justice, [00:23:00] and you aimed, say again, and filmmaking, yeah, and podcasting, um,

Reverend Yearwood: And i'm a father, you know what I mean? So all that I got

Pete Altman: right,

Reverend Yearwood: I

Pete Altman: many

Reverend Yearwood: got many many things

Pete Altman: and the way you focus your energy is as a movement builder, cultural organizer, cultivating leaders, fostering thought leadership. you're weaving, a real tapestry that's, that's really interconnected, in terms of the themes and the effects that one area has on another. how do you conceptualize it?

How do you think about the way you're focusing? and how do you measure your progress?

Reverend Yearwood: well, There's three areas that that I work in I put all those into three different buckets So one bucket is i'm a doer and you mentioned that and many other things i'm working on it goes into the doer bucket Then I'm a donor, I work in philanthropy, and a lot of things go into that bucket.

But I'm also a door opener, those things go into that bucket. And [00:24:00] why this is important for me, because some things are easy to be measured and some things are not. One thing that's important in those three buckets is for me to be an example. And that's actually very important, meaning that I'm very much mindful, again, that what we're trying to accomplish here, more than likely, will not be accomplished in my life.

That's the thing I think people also get kind of confused upon. They try to get as much done in their life, and that's also, they're not understanding that this is a game that it's, well, it's the same chessboard, but somebody will be sitting in your seat next. I like the same way I'm sitting in someone else's seat who was playing before me my job is to lead the best board possible for the next generation and so that's important.

So, my impact, I actually won't even see. I'm not even going to see it. I'm not even going to know it. All I know is that my job to lead the board best I can and then when I move on to my next, whatever that next is, the next. generation of human beings who are fighting for [00:25:00] justice and equality and freedom.

We didn't sit down in the seat and they will play with however, well I played it. If I left them a bad board, then it could be game over for that generation and that's so that's why the impact is sometimes you're not going to know it but your job is

play the best you can.

That's the first step. The next step for me is to be an inspiration. in this there are multiple boards happening all over the world. That's also the exact same game And my job for me people look over what i'm doing. Oh, man ref is really doing well I can't give up. I really want to fold this thing in I wanted to give up and so we had to be inspiration for another And then the last thing I think which is so so important which you actually can calculate Is the standpoint of it literally and it's around energy And I think energy is something there in which when you're exhibiting it, you can tell from that what's effective and what's not.

You can base it upon the energy of the people around. When we were doing Keystone XL Pipeline, [00:26:00] for example, people said that wasn't a good strategy. It wasn't a good campaign. But we just believed by the energy that that would develop, that it was something to push on. And it became a good campaign. It became a good strategy.

And it became a winning formula. And what that became, we actually won on Keystone to some degree. We lost on many other things, but we won on Keystone XL Pipeline. So I'm saying that from the standpoint that energy is something that that can be quantitative and qualitative. And so I think that's the one thing there for me, that you can look at and see, okay, from this, what is the energy level?

what is the momentum, you might say? Um that is developed from this. What is the what is the thing that is creating? from that and I think that's where our movement is right now right now We're in a moment where energy level is low To be honest, questioning and so there's a need to do any strategy to do any campaign That means we're going to have to repurpose energy to get it going again 

Pete Altman: you recently spoke at the conference that we both attended last month. You talked about a program that hip hop [00:27:00] caucus is working on to engage more young people by partnering with black owned banks. invest in green energy and have no investments in fossil fuels.

what's the problem that you were working to solve with this? And how did you come up with that strategy?

Reverend Yearwood: Yeah, that's actually my favorite campaigns. This is a bank black and green campaign and that campaign is based upon the idea. Of how do we get, particularly black banks, which are based mostly in red states because of the history of where black people came to this country. because of that, they're asking those black banks to divest. from those two things, things that are hurting our communities through criminal justice. So divest from the prison industrial complex, Or two, things that are hurting our communities via pollution. and so to divest from fossil fuels. Now, what's interesting is that a lot of those banks are getting money from fossil fuels because usually a lot of the big banks are getting that kind of money. So [00:28:00] Citibank and Wells Fargo. but they do have a tremendous amount impact on the communities.

So we're working on those communities to not only to continue to divest where they can, but to then invest. into the community they're serving in with new technology. and the green technology, and as far as different things to help them expand from, EV charging stations at churches and solar panel and all the things that need to be done so we can have clean air and clean water.

And so it's very, it's a very exciting program. It's kind of right there in the middle of, of red states and it's right there you. but it's exciting because it definitely is allowing us to create Opportunities and with the loans that have been given out Create jobs one of my goals. I'm from I mentioned before from Louisiana. I was born right outside of Cancer Alley so one of my goals is to Help to shift the narrative from Cancer Alley to To opportunity alley and in doing that, it will definitely use capital and resources and having these types of banks, [00:29:00] including the black banks or even, the greenhouse reduction fund, which is considered the green bank.

Now, invest in those communities. I actually think it's a winning solution for all Americans.

You can actually go to our website, the Hip Hop Caucus. That org and you can see it and you can see how well we're doing at it, but we're doing it 

people are divesting and we're making real investment happen. So it's exciting. No, it's it's it's Yeah, it's moving that train is going on the track

Pete Altman: Your podcast when you interviewed Leslie Fields, you talked about, study had found that only 1.

3 percent of environmental dollars are going to black led organizations. how dominant, white culture

Reverend Yearwood: Yeah. That's more than, that's, that's more than dominant. I, I'll take the word dominant, but I got a few other words to say than dominant, but we'll, we'll go with that one for right now.

Pete Altman: Yeah. Overwhelmingly dominant.

Reverend Yearwood: Well, I, I, I might say this unjust criminal in some cases. I think, I think it's just, I think it's bad. I think Well Go ahead.

Lemme finish. Just finish your thought and [00:30:00] I'll, I'll, I, I'll add mine.

Pete Altman: I was curious when you launched hip hop caucus, diversity, equity inclusion were not really on the radar of the big green groups or their funders. what was it like as a black man? leading a black organization to stand up and claim space in this community 

Reverend Yearwood: well, let me first say this is a good opportunity to lift up one of the orgs I'm the chair of the board of. That's Green 2. 0. You can check them out at diversegreen. org. But Green 2. 0 has done a number of studies, on this issue. in regards to the diversity, the equity, and the inclusion of what it looks like in our environmental movement.

It's a phenomenal organization. I'm so glad to be the chair of the board over there. So I would say that we need some reports that are coming out right now so you can Go to the green 2. 0 website and check them out. But the point you're making is this I think that one is unfortunate That from our movement standpoint that there is a hostility for people of color [00:31:00] to get the resources Infrastructure they need to do the work I mean, I've been very fortunate, um, you know, I was a former Air Force officer, so I believe everything should be done in excellence, and that's how I proceed, and I think that kind of mentality has helped me to stick out, but it shouldn't be that, we should be all working together to fight for clean air and clean water.

Back to culture. People have said that the Remember to Movement doesn't have a culture and I would say it doesn't have a culture, a very distinct culture that you mentioned is probably white, East Coast, West Coast. Ben and I love Ben and Jerry's.

So that's, I only say this as a descriptive mechanism, but Birkenstock and Ben and Jerry's, um, type of movement. But I think that that's part of the problem because that's a culture, and it wants to hold onto that culture. And so I think that as it is now dealing with a much more difficult foe and needs to broaden [00:32:00] itself, will it?

Do what it needs to do to change things up so it can, deal with the realities of the moment. I don't know, but the fact that we do not and we are not resourcing frontline and fence line communities that are particularly black, brown, indigenous and poor whites, the fact that we're not, we're not resourcing them.

To fight at the nexus of where this fight is. I think that's problematic and it shows again what this shows about. It shows bad strategy, it shows a lack of understanding, we are not doing things that we need to do to help the broadness movement To be as big and powerful as it needs to be but this is the good news If we ever decide to broaden this movement, we will win i'm telling you If you listen to this right now, you're saying how do we how do we win on this issue Rev??

Let me just tell you organized people [00:33:00] really organized people a broad Organized movement, a movement that has all kinds of people organized people beats organized money every single time. But unorganized people lose every single time. So I just think that that's that's just where we are in this movement. 

Pete Altman: way to sum it up. What is some advice that you got from a mentor or colleague that influenced you and that you'd like to pass along?

Reverend Yearwood: Actually, I just looked at something the other day that a mentor has sent me and I'm gonna I'm gonna see it was it was a quote. And it was a great quote. the quote there was whatever you're not changing, you're choosing.

I think that's the thing. if you're not trying to change the direction we're doing, and what's going on with climate change, then we're choosing the destruction that comes from climate change. if we're not trying to change the fact that we have a movement that doesn't [00:34:00] seem as equitable and just, then we're choosing a movement that is not equitable and just.

So I think that yeah, whatever we're not changing, we're choosing.

Pete Altman: And is there something that you know now? That you wish you could tell your younger self

Reverend Yearwood: Right around the time when we were engaging with the, actually then the 10 year anniversary was going into year 11 of the caucus and 10 years for Hurricane Katrina is that, um, I realized I hated the situation of not having resources, even though I didn't come from that kind of culture, I didn't, I didn't learn that, I decided then that was, I think that was right around, 2015.

I decided then to really thrust myself into becoming engaging and to philanthropy. And now, you know, people say I'm one of the, I have, you know, one of the largest hands on resources for a person of color. in America. And so that's just within a 10 year standpoint. I wish I would've did that sooner, actually.

I wish I would've done [00:35:00] that even sooner. So that we could've gotten more resources to key people in key fights. the next year, actually, is the 20 year commemoration of Hurricane Katrina. So I definitely wish I would have, I told my youngest self to be more philanthropic, to learn actually, not be more philanthropic, to learn what it means to do philanthropy and to be in that community and to grow in that community.

Pete Altman: Well, that was going to be my last question. But now i'm curious. So what does it mean to be in philanthropy?

Reverend Yearwood: I mean, it means a lot. I mean, it's, that's the one thing I think, you know, I think the one thing about philanthropy is you get an opportunity to really dictate resources, I think one of the problems in philanthropy that people are picking winners and losers, um, which is problematic.

 I think the one thing for me being a person of color from the south Understanding how culture works gives me a different lens.

I am mostly The only person of color in these rooms. I mean, I'm just like not even just [00:36:00] other people of color just like the only person of color in these rooms And I realized that that's not true That, that isn't a good thing. So then I realized that you fund who you know. And so a lot of the things we were talking about before is that people are, these groups that are predominantly white and predominantly male, that they're being funded by people who are predominantly white, predominantly male.

And so my role is very important, I'm now, I'm seeing that more and more and I'm hoping to actually engage and get more young people now. to be coming in through this, this world and coming into philanthropy. one of my dear friends, tomorrow, Tozel Lofton, who actually runs EGA, the Environmental Corrections Association, and she's a woman of color and others who are in this field.

Um, Roger Kim, who used to run the Equity Fund. I mean, there's so many, and then obviously so many women, I'm just trying to do all I can to organize them within the ranks. To just be, to figure out how we can make sure that, yeah, we still gotta fund, you know, [00:37:00] folks who need to be funded.

But let's also be more creative, more innovative. And just more, more loving, so that people can not feel bad. Or anxiety about getting resources, but they can just go out there and fight the good fight.

Pete Altman: Well, you're in a great position to do that and to bring up more leaders into that part of the work and the work overall, so thank you very much for all that you do I

Reverend Yearwood: No, thank you.

Pete Altman: it. And thank you so much for making the

Reverend Yearwood: No, I'm glad we made it work.

Pete Altman: too. Me, too too 

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