In the United States, urban communities of color are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts and pollution, but are not given equal space at the table to negotiate and provide solutions. This inequity is something Reverend Lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus wants to change through the People’s Climate Music Act on Climate bus tour.
When the People’s Climate March brought Manhattan to a standstill in September 2014, art and culture was a key part of the organizing structure through the People’s Climate Arts and their collective art space. The focus on movement building through arts and culture has continued after the People’s Climate March, building partnerships between environmental NGOs like Earthjustice, NRDC and 350.org and groups like the Hip Hop Caucus who aim to educate and empower communities through Hip Hop culture.
The People’s Climate Music tour began in New Orleans, Louisiana on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (August 29th) and finished in Tempe, Arizona on September 27th stopping along the way in at-risk and underserved communities of color to connect the dots between fossil fuel energy, the health implications of living in polluted areas, climate change impacts.
