Harnessing the Energy of Music to Get Out the Environmental Vote Amongst Black Religion Communities

There’s ample proof to counsel that the results of local weather change will (and, in some instances, already do) disproportionately have an effect on communities of colour, however these teams aren’t at all times proactively included in conversations about find out how to mitigate its results. In response to a current Yale examine, solely 12% of Black adults within the U.S. have heard of local weather justice. Into this context comes Local weather Revival, a brand new nonprofit created by Grammy-nominated singer Antonique Smith and minister and group activist Rev. Lennox Yearwood that goals to coach Black religion communities about local weather justice and assist get out the local weather vote.

Leslie Odom Jr. and Antonique Smith carry out at Local weather Revival’s Congressional Black Caucus occasion on September 13, 2024.Photograph: Courtesy of Local weather Revival

This week, Local weather Revival acquired some help from particular visitor Leslie Odom Jr. in saying an eight-city gospel live performance tour geared toward encouraging Black congregations to deliver consciousness of dangerous results of local weather change with them to the polls. The tour is scheduled to kick off in St. James, Louisiana, also referred to as “Most cancers Alley,” a predominantly Black group that has a 95% greater danger of most cancers than many of the U.S. due to the presence of greater than 200 petrochemical operations.

Whereas religion and environmentalism have discovered themselves at odds earlier than, Local weather Revival’s aim is to strengthen the bond between the 2 and create a secure and sustainable discourse round Black-led local weather motion. “The environment can’t be a partisan or political problem. We’re God’s kids and we should do every thing we are able to to make our planet livable for future generations,” famous Rev. Yearwood.