Lennox Yearwood
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr | |
---|---|
Born | |
Education | University of the District of Columbia Howard University |
Occupation | Minister / Activist |
Lennox Yearwood, Jr. is a minister and community activist who is also an influential member of political
Early life and education
Yearwood was born in
Early activism
Yearwood was a co-creator of the 2004 campaign "Vote or Die" with
During the 2004 Presidential election, Yearwood, Russell Simmons, and Jonathan Lewis created the "Hip Hop Team Vote Bus Tour." Yearwood is also the founder of Hip Hop Voices, a project of Voices for Working Families (AFL-CIO).[3]
H.R. 2206 protest
Yearwood and others protested the United States Senate passage of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 on April 26, 2007. Yearwood was arrested with thirteen other protesters in the Hart Senate Office Building[4]
Guantanamo Bay
Yearwood organized "Shut It Down," a hip hop concert at the
Hip Hop Caucus
Yearwood is the president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, founded September 11, 2004, on the premise that the hip hop generation is uniquely qualified to address human-rights for the 21st century. Since its founding, the Hip Hop Caucus has developed a database of approximately 700,000 members and has field teams in 48 cities across 30 states.
Respect My Vote!
In 2008, "Respect My Vote!", a national voter engagement campaign, was led by the Hip Hop Caucus and spokesperson, multi-platinum, Grammy Award winning rapper,
In 2010, Yearwood and the Hip Hop Caucus revived the "Respect My Vote!" campaign to engage new and young voters in the mid-term elections.
Make Hip Hop Not War
During March and April 2007 the Hip Hop Caucus undertook a sixteen city "Make Hip Hop Not War" national bus tour with hip hop artists, Iraq War veterans, youth leaders, peace and security experts, and members of Congress. Events, rallies and roundtables were held in each city to educate audiences on the costs of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to motivate young people to take action and have their voices heard. The continuation of the "Make Hip Hop Not War" campaign throughout 2007 focused on calling for Congress to de-fund the War in Iraq; raising awareness about the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for communities in the USA; and exposing the plight of Iraqi refugees in the Middle East as a result of the war.
Arrest at Petraeus hearing
Yearwood was arrested by
Yearwood was treated at George Washington University Hospital "for injuries to his ankle" according to Liz Havstad, a spokeswoman for the Hip Hop Caucus.[8] In an interview three days later on the Democracy Now! news program, Yearwood told Amy Goodman that he asked Capitol Police if he could leave the line to do a radio interview and was told okay.[9] When he returned to line, he said, he and two other activists were singled out and told they would not be able to enter, and when he tried to find out why, he was arrested. In the interview Yearwood claimed he had torn ligaments in his leg during the incident, and said he was on crutches.
The Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign
Yearwood is known for his activist work as the National Director of the Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign, in which he organized a coalition of national and grassroots organizations to advocate for the rights of Hurricane Katrina survivors. On September 19, 2005, David Banner joined forces with fellow artists and Yearwood for "From the Hill to Hood." The event was held in New York City to raise money for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.[10] Yearwood led the first march in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in November 2005, to protest the racial profiling of survivors in the days after the storm. The march led to convictions of officers who denied basic human rights to African-American families. The following year the Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign successfully pushed back FEMA’s preemptive temporary housing evictions of Katrina survivors, through public mobilization, two marches in Washington, DC, testimony to Congress, and a public relations campaign. This work earned the Hip Hop Caucus the 30th Annual Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award.[11]
One World One Voice
Yearwood's most recent movement, "One World One Voice", involves encouraging young people in the US to join the global movement and work to solve climate change. The "Green and City" campaign engages African American mayors in the movement to "green" their cities, and the "Green the Block" is a partnership with the Hip Hop Caucus and "Green For All" that was launched from the West Wing of the White House in 2009 focusing on education, awareness and service.
Hip Hop Rev
Yearwood was featured in a documentary titled "Hip Hop Rev" produced by Discovery Communications.
During the course of filming, cameras followed Yearwood from his roots in Louisiana, to the birthplace of the Hip Hop Caucus in hurricane hit New Orleans, to community organizing in South East Washington, DC, to a national Clean Energy Bus Tour with former Vice President Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection, which visited nine cities across America in seven days.
"Hip Hop Rev" premiered on Discovery Communications Planet Green Channel April 23, 2011.
Recent climate activism
Yearwood is on the advisory board of
Media appearances
Yearwood has appeared on
References
- ^ "Hip Hop Caucus, About Us". Archived from the original on 2012-12-15. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
- ^ "Reverend Lennox Yearwood". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ "Reverend Lennox Yearwood". Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Zeese, Kevin (2007-04-27). "Fourteen Arrested Urging End to War and Impeachment of President". Democracy Rising. Archived from the original on 2007-06-06. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
- ^ Cities for Progress, Hip-hop Artists Urge Guantanamo Shutdown(June, 2007)
- ^ Atlantic Records. "The Hip Hop Caucus and Multi-Platinum, Grammy Award Winning Superstar T.I.Announce Partnership to Create Major Voter Registration and Get Out the Vote Campaign". Marketwire Inc. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
- ^ a b O'Connor, Seamus (2007-09-12). "Former lieutenant arrested at Petraeus hearing". Air Force Times. Army Times Publishing Company. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
- ^ a b c "Rev. in hospital after anti-war arrest". United Press International. 2007-09-12. Archived from the original on 2007-09-15. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
- ^ ""Democracy While Black" - Rev. Lennox Yearwood Arrested, Charged with Assault While Entering Petraeus Hearing". Democracy Now!. 2007-09-13. Archived from the original on 2007-09-14. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
- ^ Daily Hip-Hop News, Heal The Hood Recap: Banner Leads Charge Of 17 Acts For Historical Hip-Hop Relief Concert Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine (September, 2005)
- ^ "Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards (Past Awardees)". Institute for Policy Studies. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
- ^ "Advisory Board". The Climate Mobilization. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ "America's Zero Emissions Imperative". EcoWatch. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ Staff (2012). "IN THE MEDIA". The Hip Hop Caucus. Hip Hop Caucus. Retrieved 24 May 2012.