“I’m excited for this moment,” Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, an advocacy group that works for racial, economic and climate justice, told us right off the bat. “It’s a tough moment, but I’m excited for it,” he said, citing the group’s 20-year history of harnessing culture and storytelling to “shape our political experience.”
In this episode of the Two Steps Forward podcast, Yearwood reflected on his organization’s journey leveraging culture to address major social and environmental challenges, particularly those impacting frontline communities.
Plus, we talk about how the music industry is stepping up to embrace sustainability.
Founded just before Hurricane Katrina, the nonprofit Hip Hop Caucus was built on the premise that the hip hop generation is uniquely positioned to drive change by combining cultural expression with political engagement. For example, the group’s “Think 100%” campaign aims to raise awareness of how pollution disproportionately impacts Black, Brown, Indigenous and underserved communities, particularly in so-called “Cancer Alley,” the 85-mile stretch of communities along the banks of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, where communities exist side by side with some 200 fossil fuel and petrochemical operations.
Music to inform and inspire
Yearwood emphasized that the caucus was initially focused on promoting democracy and voter turnout among young people, but its mission quickly expanded to encompass a wide range of issues, including climate justice, economic justice and civil rights. The organization uses music, art and storytelling as powerful tools to inform, inspire and mobilize communities.
Yearwood described how music has informed social change, from gospel to bluegrass to rock ‘n’ roll. Critically, he explained the distinction between political and cultural conversations, noting that while politics can create divisions, culture has the power to build bridges.
“Our rallies would have like eight people,” he told my co-host Solitaire Townsend and me. “But then when we had these artists show up like LL Cool J,” and suddenly the venues would be packed. “So that was really the lightbulb moment,” how artists and celebrities can spread environmental messages to audiences of color. The group maintains a stable of two dozen or so “artivists” who help educate audiences.
How companies can show up right now
Which brought us to business, communications and storytelling. For Yearwood, storytelling is as critical to business success as almost anything else.
“If you’re a business and you’re not a good storyteller, you won’t be a good business,” he said. “That’s sales 101. You can’t sell anything if you can’t explain why somebody actually needs what you’re trying to sell. So being a great storyteller is essential.”
“We have focused on folks being revolutionary in the climate space, which is fine. But what we really need now in the business space to be solutionary,” he told us. “I believe that we can take a community like Cancer Alley and turn it into Opportunity Alley using that same area to create different types of businesses,” such as in the renewable sector.
“There’s many, many things that can be done that we can create opportunities for people that don’t mean that they’re getting sick or worse, dying at a very young age.”
On joy and love
Yearwood also talked about the relationship between creativity and optimism. He posited that creative individuals are more likely to be optimistic because they can envision alternative futures and solutions. He noted that while businesses may not use these terms explicitly, they still aim to connect with people on an emotional level.
Whether selling a product or advocating for change, the most effective communications tap into universal human desires for connection, satisfaction, and meaning, he said. “Through culture, creativity and authentic storytelling, both [activist] movements and businesses can inspire action and build a better future.”
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