| Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr | |
|---|---|
| Born | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Education | University of the District of Columbia Howard University |
| Occupation | Minister / Activist |
| Religion | Christian |
Lennox Yearwood, Jr., is a minister, community activist, and one of the most influential people in Hip Hop political life.
He currently serves as President of the Hip Hop Caucus in Washington, D.C. The Hip Hop Caucus is a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan, organization that engages young people in urban communities in elections, policy making and service projects.[1] Rev. Yearwood was a co-creator of the 2004 campaign "Vote or Die" with Sean "Diddy" Combs. He was also the Political and Grassroots Director for Russell Simmons' Hip Hop Summit Action Network in 2003 and 2004, and a Senior Consultant to Jay-Z's Voice Your Choice. In 2008, he created the "Respect My Vote!" a voter registration and engagement campaign with T.I. and Keyshia Cole.[2]
Rev. Yearwood has appeared on CNN, BET Tonight, Al Jazeera, PBS, Fox, MTV, BBC, C-Span, and Hardball with Chris Mathews and featured in the Washington Post, The New York Times and VIBE.[3]
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Rev. Yearwood, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He earned his undergraduate degree from University of the District of Columbia in 1998 and was awarded a M.Div. degree from Howard University in May 2002. He was the Student Government President at both schools and was issued his honorary doctorate from St, Paul University in May 2011. He also served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as an Officer and Chaplain.
Rev Yearwood works with celebrities and athletes to engage them in projects that transform communities. He was a co-creator of the 2004 campaign "Vote or Die" with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and the Political and Grassroots Director for Russell Simmons Hip Hop Summit in 2003 and 2004, and functioned as Senior Consultant to Jay Z's “Voice Your Choice” campaign. In addition to his work with the “Voice Your Choice”, he served as a Senior Consultant for P. Diddy’s Citizen Change, where he provided a 50-state strategy for engaging the Hip-Hop generation in community-building dialogues.
During the 2004 Presidential election, Rev Yearwood along with Russell Simmons and Jonathan Lewis, created the “Hip Hop Team Vote Bus Tour” Rev. Yearwood is also the founder of Hip Hop Voices, a project of Voices for Working Families (AFL-CIO).
Rev. 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 2007-04-26. Yearwood, and thirteen other protesters, were arrested in the Hart Senate Office Building[4]
Yearwood organized "Shut It Down", a hip hop concert at 9:30 Club in Washington, DC calling for the end of torture at the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp and for the camp's closure. The concert featured Dead Prez and several other hip-hop artists. Amnesty International and the ACLU partnered with the event.[5]
The Hip Hop Caucus was founded on September 11, 2004. Since its founding, it has developed approximately 700,000 member database, alongside and field teams in 48 cities across 30 states. The Hip Hop Caucus was established on the premise that the Hip Hop Generation is uniquely qualified to address human-rights for the 21st Century.
Through hip-hop culture, celebrities, media, technology, and grassroots organizing, the caucus mobilizes, educates, and engages young people, ages 14 to 40, on the social issues that directly impact their lives and communities. The work of the Hip Hop Caucus re-shapes how the media, elected officials, and the public view young people. Furthermore, because of Hip Hop’s broad appeal among many constituencies and vast influence in mainstream and global culture, the caucus builds unity across socio-economic and racial divides. Casting a positive light on the Hip Hop Culture, the caucus is able to put forth new and young leaders from urban communities – giving them a space to ‘sit at the table’, have their voices heard, and ultimately make positive change through the democratic process.
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, T.I. together with other celebrities such as Keyshia Cole, T-Pain, Young Jeezy and more. The campaign successfully registered voters in 12 states and executed a 20 city Bus Tour to Get Out the Vote the month before the 2008 Presidential Election.
In 2010, Rev Yearwood and the Hip Hop Caucus revived the Respect My Vote! campaign to engage new and young voters in the mid-term elections.
In March and April 2007 the Hip Hop Caucus did 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 motivated young people to take action and have their voices heard.The continuation of the “Make Hip Hop Not War” campaign throughout 2007 focused on calls on Congress to de-fund the War in Iraq; raising awareness about the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for communities at home; and exposing the incredible humanitarian tragedy and plight of Iraqi Refugees in the Middle East because of the war. Rev Yearwood and the Hip Hop Caucus increased awareness and, through grassroots advocacy, promoted the closing of Guantanamo Bay and the restoration of Habeas Corpus. Rev Yearwood is an important leader in the peace movement and an outspoken critic of America’s wars abroad. He was an Officer and Chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve when he first spoke out against the invasion of Iraq in early 2003, and is currently a member of the Iraq Veterans Against the War[6] He was an Officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and led a "Make Hip Hop Not War" national tour[7] to engage more young people in the movement for peace.
Petraeus Hearing:Yearwood was arrested by Capitol Hill police outside of a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on 2007-09-10, and charged with disorderly conduct and assault on a police officer. According to Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, spokeswoman for the Capitol Police, Yearwood was stopped from entering the room after allegedly attempting to cut in front of people waiting to get in. “What he tried to do was jump to the front of the line. He was told he couldn’t do that,” Schneider said. “And he pretty much charged at the officers to get past them into the room, after he was told not to.”[8] In a press release from the Hip Hop Caucus Yearwood said that he was prevented from entering the hearing because he was wearing a button that says "I love the people of Iraq." [8] In the press release he called his arrest an example of “democracy while black.” [9] UPI reports that the video being circulated on the Internet "does not seem to show an assault."[9]
Rev Yearwood was treated at George Washington University Hospital "for injuries to his ankle" according to Liz Havstad, a spokeswoman for the Hip-Hop Caucus.[9] 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.[10] In the YouTube video of the arrest, multiple people are heard agreeing that he was already in line. In the interview Yearwood claimed he had torn ligaments in his leg, and said he was on crutches.
Rev 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 Rev. Yearwood for “From the Hill to Hood.” The event was held in New York City to raise money for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.[11] Rev 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 prestigious 30th Annual Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award.[12]
Rev Yearwood’s most recent movement “One World One Voice” involves encouraging young people in the U.S. 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.
Rev Yearwood and the Hip Hop Caucus celebrated 350 African Americans that are enriching life on the planet April 22, 2011. 350 honored African Americans from the realms of: media and entertainment, community leaders and professionals, law and politics, and business that each make contributions to the betterment of the planet for all. 350 honored people such as Oprah Winfrey, Lebron James, Cornell West and Lisa Jackson (EPA Administrator).
Rev Yearwood was featured in a documentary entitled “Hip Hop Rev” produced by Discovery Communications. Hip Hop Rev’, a special one hour documentary for Discovery Network’s Planet Green channel, follows a year in the life of Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., a civil rights and environmental activist, and a man of the people.
During the course of filming, cameras followed Rev 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.
With Rev Yearwood’s 'Can't Stop Won't Stop' mentality viewers see the high regard in which movement leaders and politicians hold Rev Yearwood alike. He succeeds in bringing twenty-five African American mayors to Capitol Hill for a Green the City summit, as well as enlists the help of various celebrities to highlight the environmental and social injustices that pervade America's poorest urban communities. The documentary featured musician Wyclef Jean, actress Gloria Rueben and activist Van Jones.
“Hip Hop Rev” premiered on Discovery Communications Planet Green Channel April 23, 2011.