What will it take to save our environment — and can hip-hop inspire people to get involved in the movement for climate justice?
That was the topic of discussion during “Can Hip-Hop Save Our Climate,” Word In Black’s recent virtual event about how Black Americans are affected by climate change and how the world-shaping culture we created can catalyze change.
And who better to talk to about this than the activists at Hip Hop Caucus, an organization committed to fighting for climate and racial justice through music.
We were joined by four Hip Hop Caucus staffers: Dawn Richard, Artist Relations Director; Russell Armstrong, Policy Director for Climate and Environment; JaRel Clay, Digital Director; and Bea Williams, the Civil and Human Rights, Good Trouble Dept. Campaigns Director and Field Campaigns, Pressure Squad Director.
The panelists talked about whether you need big-name rappers — someone like Drake — to inspire change, as well as how priorities may be shifting in hip-hop culture.
“We had WuTang Clan telling us ‘cash rules everything around me’ in the 90s,” Clay said. “I think a lot of people are realizing that ‘climate rules everything around me’ too.”
And, as Clay said, one of the biggest myths surrounding climate justice is that some people believe “it’s too big to fight.”
But as you’ll see in the video of the event, each panelist brought a unique perspective on how people can start to get involved in the climate justice movement.
This event was inspired by Word In Black’s reporting for “Earth Day Every Day,” our series which looks at how climate change deeply affects Black folks and the solutions our community is coming up with. The series features stories on topics ranging from eco-friendly fashion to teaching climate literacy in schools.
