The Coolest Show

Everything is interdisciplinary and intersectional. As our analysis of the world evolves to include the root of our issues (global racial capitalism and white supremacy), it must inform our work. Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, columnist, and author. Naomi discusses with Rev Yearwood the effects of exploiting states of trauma from Climate Gentrification, building public support for fig...

Energy Combat requires a hand-to-hand fight with policymakers and interest groups who have persuaded the passing of laws that benefit corporations and disengage communities most affected. Dr. Leah Stokes, Assistant Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, discusses with Rev Yearwood her book “Short-Circuiting Policy”. She shares the tactics that Fossil Fuels...

Energy poverty is the lack of access to reliable energy, and energy insecurity stems from the lack of affordability and a higher energy burden due to cost, infrastructure, and more. In the midst of a pandemic disproportionately impacting low income and people of color, a federal mandate on energy shut offs would have averted almost 15% of COVID-19 deaths (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2021...

The climate movement has missed its chance to intersect with other fights for equality since the 1960s. The Environmental Justice movement has been treated like an unwanted stepchild during this time. The stakes are high now, and fossil fuel companies’ business plan leads to a death sentence for our people.  The Coolest Show speaks with Climate Justice writer Mary Annaïse Heglar and journali...

This Good Friday, The Coolest Show presents a difficult discussion intersecting Climate, Religion, Family, and Race. Rev Yearwood speaks with Anna Jane Joyner, the founder of the Good Energy Project and co-host of the No Place Like Home podcast.  Anna Jane is also the daughter of Rick Joyner, an evangelical preacher who has called for white evangelicals to arm themselves against Liberals. Anna Jan...

Environmental Liberation is a movement for and by Black people. Nature is an integral part of African spiritual systems, and the extractive systems of global racial capitalism disconnect Black people from their essence. This week on The Coolest Show, we speak with Ayana Albertini-Fleurant, the Co-executive director and policy director, and Jaylin Ward, the diaspora engagement director at Generatio...

In the words of Leah Thomas, “Intersectional Environmentalism would not exist without environmental justice… They work together really harmoniously.” Leah Thomas is the founder of Intersectional Environmentalism and Green Girls Co. Leah Shares with Rev the targeting of Black environmentalists with wokewashing, the need for cannabis reparations, and the environmental movement historically ignoring...

Black people are environmentalists. Eco-conscious and zero-waste lifestyles are inherently Black and Indigenous. While the climate and environmental movement is labeled progressive, it is failing to ensure that our climate future centers Black lives. Wanjiku “WaWa” Gatheru is the founder of Black Girl Environmentalist. WaWa shares with us her research on colorism as a barrier to the outdoors, dest...

There has been disinvestment in Black and brown communities. You can see how a city treats its people by exploring the environment. Resources tend to show up in these communities as the neighborhoods become gentrified. Better stores, cleaner streets, parks, and upgraded schools are usually a by-product of this upscaling. Kerene Tayloe is the Director of Federal Legislative Affairs at WE ACT for En...

Sanitation is a nation-wide issue for rural communities. America’s dirty secret is that there are third-world conditions in the richest country in the world. Lowndes County, Alabama is home to the original Black Panther Party, also known as the Lowndes County Freedom Party. 34 percent of its residents tested positive for hookworm, known as a disease of poverty. Catherine Coleman Flowers, a native...

We are back with a special 4-part series on transportation justice, trucking, and the climate crisis.  In this 4th and final part of this special series, after visiting Long Beach, Kansas City, and Chicago, we now take a national view. And we dive into the question of why and how poor Black and brown people can and can’t move freely within cities and within our country. Part 4 of the Transpor...

We are back with a special 4-part series on transportation justice, trucking, and the climate crisis. Part 3 of this series lands us in the Chicago region, where North America’s largest inland port is just 40 miles southwest of the city. Approximately 3.5% of America's GDP flows through this area, yet resources are purposely withheld from the community. While industry seeks to pit laborers against...

We are back with a special 4-part series on transportation justice, trucking, and the climate crisis. In part 2 of this special series we visit Kansas City. Kansas City straddles the border of Missouri and Kansas, serving as a midpoint between the West and East coasts of the United States. This inland port is polluted with rail yards, highways with heavy freight traffic, and petrochemical faciliti...

We are back with a special 4-part series on transportation justice, trucking, and the climate crisis. In part 1 of this special series we travel to Long Beach, California to speak with community and national leaders Laura Cortez, the Co-Director of the East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, and Angelo Logan, the Director of the Moving Forward Network. Long Beach is a port city in Souther...

This is the finale to season 2 of The Coolest Show! There is no guest, it’s our host, Rev Yearwood, sharing his reflections on this season. It’s been quite a year and we’re so honored to have been able to continue this show through the pandemic, through the increasing climate disasters we are working so hard to stop, through the 2020 election, and most profoundly, through our society’s largest-sca...

 Philanthropy operates in fundamentally unjust, oppressive systems. In order to be effective, grassroots work must be funded with unrestricted money, offering core support with grassroots intermediaries who know the work. The CLIMA Fund is led by Kate Kroeger, the Executive Director of Urgent Action Fund, Laura García, President and CEO of Global Greengrants Fund, and Solomé Lemma, the Executive D...

We continue the discussion in this 2 part series recorded live in November 2019 from Media Impact Funders in Boulder Colorado. Thomas Lopez Jr. Thomas is an activist, water protector, defender, and the Partnerships Coordinator for Future Coalition. We caught up with him to discuss tokenization, cultural assimilation of Indigenous people, and how assimilation affected the lost in values and traditi...

In this 2 part series recorded in November 2019, Rev. Yearwood travels to Boulder Colorado to host a town hall at Media Impact Funders. He is joined by co-host Vic Barrett from Our Children's Trust. Kaitlin Yarnall is the Chief Storytelling Officer at the National Geographic Society. We caught up with her to discuss the importance of comprehensive storytelling, how National Geographic has played a...

We had the largest voter turnout in history in the 2020 election. “The status quo is no longer acceptable… We need to push further.” Tina Johnson is the Director of the National Black Environmental Justice Network. We caught up with her to discuss the EPA turning 50, the energy of young people in the EJ movement, and Black women leading. Listen now! More at TheCoolestShow.com and @Think100Climate....

The Biden administration must move fast in the first 100 days to not only reverse harmful policies of the Trump administration, but also set new precedents for community-driven climate solutions. John Podesta is the former top advisor to Presidents Clinton and Obama, the founder and a Board member for the Center for American Progress, and an advisory board member for Climate Power 2020. We caught...

 Government investment in the fossil fuel industry infringes upon our constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property. A combination of litigation and demonstration is needed to hold our government accountable. Kelsey Juliana and Vic Barrett are plaintiffs in Juliana v. United States, also known as Youth v. Gov. We caught up with them to discuss the documentary Youth v Gov premiering at this...

 “Other people’s discomfort can risk your whole life.” It is time that we ensure adequate representation and compensation for injustices inflicted upon us. Expanding the U.S. Supreme Court and climate reparations are places to start. Tamara Toles O’Laughlinis the North American Director of 350 Action. We caught up with her to discuss the impact of Black women, voter suppression, and false climate...

This election cycle, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) invested over $115 million in priority races. This election was crucial for climate policy, as we have nine years until the 2030 deadline of cutting global emissions in half. Tiernan Sittenfeld is the Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at LCV. We caught up with her to discuss the first 100 days of the next administration, selec...

National Grid is expanding a massive fracked gas transmission pipeline in North Brooklyn, also known as the North Brooklyn Pipeline. The disparities between upstate New York and NYC are evident in the cumulative impact of COVID-19, the placement of toxic facilities, and disinvestment. Ali A. Zaidi is the Deputy Secretary for Energy & Environment in the Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo. We caught up...

 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) needs to be more intentional. This includes the meaningful involvement of BIPOC and hiring and retaining them in leadership roles. Adrianna Quintero is the Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Energy Foundation. We caught up with her to discuss the potential of philanthropy, Big Greens sourcing funding to other white organizations, and the im...