The people have spoken, and they want their planet back. After the recent protest in Washington DC, people have demanded a fossil-free future and for President Biden to pick a side between the people or the execs. While in Minnesota in solidarity with those fighting Line 3, Rev Yearwood speaks to Indigenous activist Sumak Helena Gualinga from the Kichwa Sarayaku community of Pastaza, Ecuador and JD, an organizer with Ginwi Collective from the White Earth Reservation. They discuss the militarizat...
Oct 25, 2021•31 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast The people have spoken, and they want their planet back. After the recent protest in Washington DC, people have demanded a fossil-free future and for President Biden to pick a side between the people or the execs. While in Minnesota in solidarity with those fighting Line 3, Rev Yearwood speaks to Indigenous activist Sumak Helena Gualinga from the Kichwa Sarayaku community of Pastaza, Ecuador and JD, an organizer with Ginwi Collective from the White Earth Reservation. They discuss the militarizat...
Oct 25, 2021•31 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast The majority of petrochemical production in the United States has always taken place on the Gulf Coast. But, with low-priced shale gas from fracking in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, the industry sees the Ohio River Valley as a manufacturing goldmine. Twenty-nine new gas-fired power plants are projected or under construction in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. Kathy Ferguson is a community organizer in the Ohio River Valley. She sits down with Rev Yearwood to discuss how we can fig...
Oct 18, 2021•47 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast In Texas, between 2000 and 2016, petrochemical refineries released more than 400 million pounds of pollution into the air. However, in all that time, the Environmental Protection Agency never once consulted the most affected people. The Coolest Show Host Rev Yearwood dives into this issue with two experts from the Coalition for Environment, Equity & Resilience (CEER). Iris Gonzalez is the coalition director at CEER, and Carol Smith serves as its climate ambassador. Land in the Black community co...
Oct 18, 2021•53 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast In Louisiana, petrochemical factories are built upon the bones of African Americans as communities have been transformed into industrial structures. Sharon Lavigne is the founder of RISE St. James, a faith-based grassroots organization formed to advocate for racial and environmental justice. Lavigne sits down with Rev Yearwood to discuss how we can fight to end the destruction of the petrochemical industry in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley. Land in the Black community continues to be haggled away by p...
Oct 18, 2021•38 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast Cancer Alley, the eighty-five-mile stretch located in the southern state of Louisiana along the lower Mississippi River where enslaved Africans were forced to labor, serves as an industrial hub, with nearly 150 oil refineries, plastics plants, and chemical facilities. Over 100,000 people live in this area who have likely suffered long-term exposure to cancer-causing chemicals. With the expensive cost of cancer treatment and the density of low-income residents, developing cancer is essentially a ...
Oct 11, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast For too long, people with political capital have known about water contamination and lead exposure and did nothing to fix these issues for communities of color. In many cases, elected officials made decisions to keep lead pipes in the ground for Black and Brown communities while acting swiftly to provide clean water to white communities. Jeremy Orr is a senior attorney at Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), focusing on drinking water and source water protection issues, and working to ensur...
Oct 04, 2021•50 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast Rev Yearwood speaks with Corrine Van Hook-Turner, Director of Climate Innovation at Movement Strategy Center and Dontay Wimberly, an artist in their Young Black Climate Leaders program. The Young Black Climate Leaders program amplifies young leaders and their objectives while also providing resources to succeed while asking the questions: What does climate mean? How is it correlated to other things such as our culture, our liberation, and our history? Support YBCL: https://movementstrategy.org/c...
Sep 27, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast The Global South is paying the price of the climate crisis caused by the Global North. This pattern of environmental injustice has repeated itself for decades. As we usher in a new decade, it must be the Global South and frontline communities that lead on solutions for the climate crisis. To kick off Climate Week NYC 2021, The Coolest Show Host Rev Yearwood sits down with Christiana Figueres, a globally recognized leader on climate action, to discuss how we can take actions to go from positions ...
Sep 20, 2021•56 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast In honor of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation’s 50th year of servitude to the Black community, we interviewed 5 of its representatives, four of whom are currently serving districts across the United States. "I'm hopeful because I do think that we have a resilient system and the mechanisms in place to push back on people who are challenging democracy. But it also requires an engaged citizenry." Former Congresswoman Donna Edwards speaks with Rev Yearwood in the conclusion of the "CBC...
Sep 17, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast In honor of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation’s 50th year of servitude to the Black community, we interviewed 5 of its representatives, four of whom are currently serving districts across the United States. Congressman Henry “Hank” Johnson shares how actively engaging in political movements is a declaration of faith. “But really, our work and our family, everything off, everything that we do is a matter of faith, is an extension of our faith. Faith permeates all of our actions…” Re...
Sep 16, 2021•58 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast In honor of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation’s 50th year of servitude to the Black community, we interviewed 5 of its representatives, four of whom are currently serving districts across the United States. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke from New York’s 9th Congressional District joins Rev Yearwood and inspires the next generation as she speaks to young Black women. “We do our part in lifting up and lifting up not only our community, but by extension, all of humanity, because we have ...
Sep 15, 2021•56 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast In honor of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation’s 50th year of servitude to the Black community, we interviewed 5 of its representatives, four of whom are currently serving districts across the United States. “I want to end poverty in this district. I’m going to do everything in my power to work with other elected officials and whomever to end poverty in this district.” Congressman Jamaal Bowman from New York’s 16th Congressional District joins Rev Yearwood to discuss hip hop history...
Sep 14, 2021•56 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast In honor of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation’s 50th year of servitude to the Black community, we interviewed 5 of its representatives, four of who are currently serving districts across the United States. “Everything that we do, we should look at [it from]a historical perspective and then connect it to what is going on now.” Rev Yearwood speaks with Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California’s 43rd Congressional District. The two discuss the intersectionality of issues with the cli...
Sep 13, 2021•38 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast Black Oak Collective is a networking organization that gives Black professionals the resources they need to dismantle white supremacy in the environmental movement and/or build their own institutions. Rev Yearwood speaks with Wes Gobar and Sarah Nesbit, co-founders of Black Oak Collective. The two discuss intergenerational relationship building, building the capacity of young Black professionals, and the new generation of the Congressional Black Caucus. Support Black Oak Collective: https://www....
Sep 06, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast After spending 30 years in a movement, one is able to reflect on the challenges, the growth, and provide insight to the next generation. Movement spaces are but a microcosm of society where, just like the world we’re striving to change, we have to center and build on our values. Rev Yearwood speaks with Leslie Fields, the National Director of policy, advocacy, and legal at Sierra Club. The two discuss discriminatory philanthropy, reparations, and global intersections on climate change. The Coole...
Aug 30, 2021•55 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast It takes a lot of courage for whistleblowers to come forward and reveal information, risking their livelihoods. What began with an EPA employee exposing unethical vanadium pentoxide mining in South Africa led to the protection of whistleblowers from discrimination and retaliation. Rev Yearwood speaks with Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, EPA whistleblower, former Black Panther, and president of the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition. The two discuss the No FEAR Coalition, decoding the language of wh...
Aug 23, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast Black farmers are facing extinction with a 99% decline since 1920 due to racial discrimination by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. While seeking debt relief through section 1005 of the American Rescue Plan, farmers of color are facing delay due to white farmers suing to block payments. Rev Yearwood speaks with John Boyd, the president and founder of the National Black Farmers Association. The two discuss the history of land theft from Black farmers, tactics to prevent them from receiving money, an...
Aug 16, 2021•56 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Pan-Africanism is rooted in the connectivity and power of the Black/African diaspora. The continent of Africa is the epicenter of humanity--driving the future of not only the diaspora, but the world. Rev Yearwood speaks with Emira Woods, the senior advisor of Shine and associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. The two discuss the colonial and economic oppression of Africa, the power and potential of women, and liberation leaders of the past and future. Support the Shine Campaign: htt...
Aug 09, 2021•57 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast It’s extremely dangerous when people in positions of power/leadership make empty promises and play two sides of the field. Slow-walking progress costs people their livelihoods. We must hold the people “on our side” just as accountable as those who oppose us. Rev Yearwood speaks with energy investor Dr. Michael K Dorsey. The two discuss the US’ role in the shift to clean energy, an energy revolution in the Black diaspora, and the Black Owners Solar Services organization. Support Black Owners Sola...
Aug 02, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast Did you know that only 1.3% of the U.S.-based climate funding goes to Black, indigenous, and people of color-led environmental justice groups? The Climate Funder's Justice Pledge calls on foundations to do better in the fight for climate justice. Donors of Color Network, a philanthropic group dedicated to funding racial equity efforts, has asked the top 40 climate funders to disclose precisely what percentage of their funding during these past two years went to organizations led by BIPOC communi...
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast It is important to be grounded when doing this work. For people like Rev Yearwood and Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, urban strategist and author, they ground themselves in their spiritual faith. They discuss extractivism vs regeneration, phases of the environmental movement, and the connections between Islam and the environment. The Coolest Show – brought to you by Hip Hop Caucus Think 100% PODCASTS – drops new episodes every Monday on environmental justice and how we solve the climate crisis. Listen and ...
Jul 19, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast On July 2nd, 2021, the Hip Hop Caucus held a press conference to rally around the Byhalia pipeline fight in Memphis, Tennessee. Later that day, Plains All American Pipeline announced the cancellation of the 49-mile proposed Byhalia pipeline that would have gone right through the predominantly Black Southwest Memphis to transport crude oil for export. In this episode of The Coolest Show, you’ll hear part of our press conference to depict the tone and fight before the cancellation, as well as the ...
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast While people are profiting off the planet and the most vulnerable, creatives are leading innovation in sustainability with a heart and people-centered approach. The artist's eye is the bridge between the culture and movements. Rev Yearwood speaks with Maya Penn, environmental activist and CEO of the eco-fashion brand Maya’s Ideas. Maya and Rev discuss standing on the shoulders of giants, buying Black and ethical, and the rise of Black women entrepreneurship. Support Maya’s Ideas: mayasideas.com ...
Jul 05, 2021•56 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Racism is a public health crisis that fuels the Black community’s lack of trust in the government. Incidents such as the Tuskegee experiment and the Flint water crisis are examples of environmental racism, also categorized as genocide. Rev Yearwood speaks with Elise Tolbert, Founder and Executive Director of Next Step Up and the Deputy Director of Partner Engagement at Climate Action Campaign. Elise and Rev Yearwood discuss the need for young leadership, Black mental health, and the challenge to...
Jun 28, 2021•49 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast The producers of The Coolest Show (DeJuan Cross, Destiny Hodges, and Tamara Toles O’Laughlin) give listeners an inside look at the production of the show. Rev Yearwood guides them through a critical conversation on: why spaces like The Coolest Show are needed to speak truth to power; the importance of prioritizing a Black audience for a climate podcast; and “lifting up the struggle while it’s evolving.” The Coolest Show – brought to you by Hip Hop Caucus Think 100% PODCASTS – drops new episodes ...
Jun 21, 2021•2 hr 31 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast Institutionalized groups want young, BIack, and Indigenous organizers to be inspirational and play a superficial role. But oftentimes, they don’t want to fund their work to effectively dismantle systems of oppression. It is easier to do the work that coddles one’s privilege because they don’t have to confront their privilege or the realities that communities first and foremost affected are experiencing. Rev Yearwood speaks with Isha Clark, Co-founder of Youth Vs Apocalypse, and Aniya Butler, Hip...
Jun 14, 2021•1 hr•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast The fight for fair equity and access to appropriate resources has been an uphill battle for many organizations started in black communities. Funders have historically not trusted black organizations, resulting in folks doing twice the work for a small percentage of any available support. Rev Yearwood Speaks with Natalie Mebane, Associate Director of U.S. Policy at 350.org. Natalie shares her origins in the movement, the culture in her home of Trinidad and Tobago, using privilege to help the envi...
Jun 07, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast The Coalitions are necessary in working to solve the climate crisis. They are often composed of people with different experiences, perspectives, needs, and opinions. So how do we secure a win with such a coalition? Rev Yearwood speaks with Jane Fleming Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and President of Bold Alliance. She shared her experience as a former young activist, building the Cowboy Indian Alliance, and ongoing pipeline fights. The Coolest Show – brought to you by Hip Hop Cauc...
May 31, 2021•54 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast The Black church has played a major role in many social justice movements. There is a history of politicians and the climate movement being transactional and extractive with Black churches. Rev Yearwood speaks with Rev. Michael Malcom, the Executive Director of Alabama Interfaith Power and Light. He shares insight on the performance of worship, the role of the Black church in the movement, and the intersections of church and climate. The Coolest Show – brought to you by Hip Hop Caucus Think 100%...
May 24, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast 
