The Coolest Show

The fossil fuel industry is dying out as we transition to clean energy and electric vehicles. But in order to hold on to dear life they are trying to make a big pivot to plastics as their new big business. Petrochemicals are the building blocks for plastics, pesticides, clothing, digital devices, and other common products. They are made from oil and natural gas, and contaminate air, water and soil...

Ayisha Siddiqa, Pakistani-American environmental and human rights advocate, reflects on the state of the youth climate movement, the violence of fossil fuel industry, and being good ancestors.  The post Oil is War w/ Ayisha Siddiqa appeared first on The Coolest Show .

Bahamian climate activist Niel Leadon speaks with Rev Yearwood about several Caribbean countries demanding reparations and severing ties with “The Crown.” They discuss how colorism is more of a problem in the Caribbean than racism and the solidarity between Black Americans and Caribbeans dealing with the movement for Black lives. The post The Crown Belongs to Us w/ Niel Leadon appeared...

The development and influence of the climate strike movement has led to the tokenization and tolerance of young people. After growing up through 9/11, the 2008 recession, mass shootings, Trump era politics, COVID-19, and more Generation Z has a radical mindset about solutions and are burning out due to a lack of change. Climate activist Jerome Foster II speaks to Rev Yearwood about imposter syndro...

Today’s “solutionaries” stand on the shoulders of great revolutionaries of our past, but for every generation, the fight for freedom looks different. Rev Yearwood chats with Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center For Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center). Dr. King breaks down what pathways to freedom and liberation look like from a historical perspective. The Coolest S...

Earth in Color is a Black-led creative studio ​​working to affirm and strengthen cultural, spiritual, physical, and ancestral connections to the natural world. Nature is not the oppressor, even though it has been used as a tool to oppress, marginalize, and harm. Darel Scott, founder of Earth in Color, speaks with Destiny Hodges about the importance of Black storytelling and cultural healing as pat...

The post Creating Community w/ Jordie Vasquez appeared first on The Coolest Show .

Hip Hop Caucus defines “movement music” as songs that speak to the ills of society, incorporate calls to action, empower people, and/or connect to social movements. Art is a medium to reimagine systems and challenge the status quo. YBCL artist Dontay Wimberly speaks to Rev Yearwood about artivism, unlearning systems of oppression, and his new album “Rituals.” Support: https://linktr.ee...

Black folks have historically and culturally been one with the environment. Colonialism (white supremacy) has robbed us of our heritage, cultural identity, access and ability to thrive. Young Black organizers are decolonizing education to create ecosystems of empowerment for communities. Mitchelle Mhaka, Zimbabwean-South African activist, speaks to Tamara Toles O’Laughlin about period poverty, lan...

How are we creating systems that are non-disposable when Black people are seen as disposable, as waste? Contrary to the mainstream definition, “sustainability” is an inherently Black, Brown, and Indigenous regenerative mechanism for living and engaging with nature that is grounded in ancestral relationship with the Earth and has evolved into resisting colonial structure so that we can find well-be...

It is no secret that white institutions are anti-Black and hoard resources, often forcing Black students to endure the harm of these spaces when seeking tools to support their communities. Leaving your community to acquire resources does not mean that you have to lose yourself or your values. Environmental and climate justice advocate Arielle King speaks to Rev Yearwood about how she was able to f...

There has been a history of racist policies and movements that have made the environment inaccessible and unsafe for Black people. The connections between Black culture and social movements are undeniable, as Hip Hop was birthed out of resistance to the Bronx Cosway. Bronx native and national media personality HeadKrack speaks to Rev Yearwood about the parallels between activists and artists. The...

The producers and host of The Coolest Show give the audience and in-side look at the production of the show and its upcoming season. The show is known for its multigenerational and communal approach to storytelling (narrative organizing). This season will build upon the last, continuing to connect guests with resources and bridging the gap between climate and culture. The post Producers’ Epi...

We review The Coolest Show Season 3 with clips from guests and commentary from our producer. The post TCS Year in Review appeared first on The Coolest Show .

Black Women’s Health Imperative is dedicated to advancing health equity and social justice for black women and girls through policy, advocacy, education, research, and leadership development. In the season finale of The Coolest Show, Rev Yearwood speaks with Alanna Murrell, Special Projects Manager, Black Women’s Health Imperative. They discuss the importance of the relationship betwee...

The latest edition of Green 2.0’s annual Transparency Report Card is set to release November 17, 2021. The report includes demographic data from 67 NGOs and, for the first time, a sample of foundations. Rev Yearwood speaks with Andrés Jimenez, the executive director of Green 2.0, and Jasmine Sanders, the executive director of Our Climate. They discuss decolonizing the environmental movement, holdi...

Growing up in eastern North Carolina and attending North Carolina A&T State University, EPA Administrator Michael Regan is no stranger to the disproportionate effects of air pollution in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. After graduating from A&T, he landed an internship at the EPA, and as a full-circle moment, he was sworn in as the 16th Administrator March 11, 2021. Administrator...

Over the past year, many of us have watched the reckoning in the environmental movement unravel in Sierra Club. Rev Yearwood speaks with Ramón Cruz, the President of Sierra Club. The two discuss leading Sierra Club’s as a person of color, Puerto Rico’s energy sector, and the future of Big Green Organizations. The post The Crisis Within w/ Ramón Cruz appeared first on The Coolest Show .

The people have spoken, and they want their planet back.  After the recent protest in Washington D.C., 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, Ecuad...

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 com...

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 co...

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 petroc...

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 expen...

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...

Rev Yearwood speaks with Corrine Van Hook-Turner, Director of Climate Innovation, Movement Strategy Center, & Dontay Wimberly, of Young Climate Leaders. 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 l...