Lennox Yearwood
Encyclopedia
Lennox Yearwood, Jr., is a minister, community activist, and one of the most influential people in Hip Hop
political life.
He currently serves as President of the Hip Hop Caucus
in Washington, D.C. The Hip Hop Caucus is a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan, organization that engages young people in urban communities in elections, policy making and service projects. Rev. Yearwood was a co-creator of the 2004 campaign "Vote or Die" with Sean "Diddy" Combs. He was also the Political and Grassroots Director for Russell Simmons' Hip Hop Summit Action Network in 2003 and 2004, and a Senior Consultant to Jay-Z
's Voice Your Choice. In 2008, he created the "Respect My Vote!" a voter registration and engagement campaign with T.I.
and Keyshia Cole
.
Rev. Yearwood has appeared on CNN
, BET Tonight
, Al Jazeera
, PBS, Fox
, MTV
, BBC
, C-Span
, and Hardball
with Chris Mathews and featured in the Washington Post, The New York Times
and VIBE
.
from University of the District of Columbia
in 1998 and was awarded a M.Div.
degree from Howard University
in May 2002. He was the Student Government President at both schools and was issued his honorary doctorate from St, Paul University in May of 2011. He also served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as an Officer and Chaplain.
During the 2004 Presidential election, Rev Yearwood along with Russell Simmons and Jonathan Lewis, created the “Hip Hop Team Vote Bus Tour” Rev. Yearwood is also the founder of Hip Hop Voices, a project of Voices for Working Families (AFL-CIO
).
Yearwood, and thirteen other protesters, were arrested in the Hart Senate Office Building
in Washington, DC calling for the end of torture at the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
and for the camp's closure. The concert featured Dead Prez
and several other hip-hop artists. Amnesty International
and the ACLU partnered with the event.
was founded on September 11, 2004. Since its founding, it has developed approximately 700,000 member database, alongside and field teams in 48 cities across 30 states. The Hip Hop Caucus was established on the premise that the Hip Hop Generation is uniquely qualified to address human-rights for the 21st Century.
Through hip-hop culture, celebrities, media, technology, and grassroots organizing, the caucus mobilizes, educates, and engages young people, ages 14 to 40, on the social issues that directly impact their lives and communities. The work of the Hip Hop Caucus re-shapes how the media, elected officials, and the public view young people. Furthermore, because of Hip Hop’s broad appeal among many constituencies and vast influence in mainstream and global culture, the caucus builds unity across socio-economic and racial divides. Casting a positive light on the Hip Hop Culture, the caucus is able to put forth new and young leaders from urban communities – giving them a space to ‘sit at the table’, have their voices heard, and ultimately make positive change through the democratic process.
In 2010, Rev Yearwood and the Hip Hop Caucus revived the Respect My Vote! campaign to engage new and young voters in the mid-term elections.
Rev Yearwood and the Hip Hop Caucus increased awareness and, through grassroots advocacy, promoted the closing of Guantanamo Bay and the restoration of Habeas Corpus.
Rev Yearwood is an important leader in the peace movement and an outspoken critic of America’s wars abroad. He was an Officer and Chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve when he first spoke out against the invasion of Iraq in early 2003, and is currently a member of the Iraq Veterans Against the War He was an Officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and led a "Make Hip Hop Not War" national tour to engage more young people in the movement for peace.
outside of a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on 2007-09-10, and charged with disorderly conduct and assault on a police officer. According to Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, spokeswoman for the Capitol Police, Yearwood was stopped from entering the room after allegedly attempting to cut in front of people waiting to get in. “What he tried to do was jump to the front of the line. He was told he couldn’t do that,” Schneider said. “And he pretty much charged at the officers to get past them into the room, after he was told not to.”In a press release from the Hip Hop Caucus Yearwood said that he was prevented from entering the hearing because he was wearing a button that says "I love the people of Iraq." In the press release he called his arrest an example of “democracy while black.” UPI reports that the video being circulated on the Internet "does not seem to show an assault."
"for injuries to his ankle" according to Liz Havstad, a spokeswoman for the Hip-Hop Caucus. In an interview three days later on the Democracy Now!
news program, Yearwood told Amy Goodman
that he asked Capitol Police if he could leave the line to do a radio interview and was told okay. In the YouTube video of the arrest, multiple people are heard agreeing that he was already in line. In the interview Yearwood claimed he had torn ligaments in his leg, and said he was on crutches.
survivors. On September 19, 2005, David Banner
joined forces with fellow artists and Rev. Yearwood for “From the Hill to Hood.” The event was held in New York City to raise money for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.Rev Yearwood led the first march in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in November 2005, to protest the racial profiling of survivors in the days after the storm. The march led to convictions of officers who denied basic human rights to African-American families. The following year the Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign successfully pushed back FEMA’s preemptive temporary housing evictions of Katrina Survivors, through public mobilization, two marches in Washington, DC, testimony to Congress, and a public relations campaign. This work earned the Hip Hop Caucus the prestigious 30th Annual Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award
.
During the course of filming, cameras followed Rev Yearwood from his roots in Louisiana, to the birthplace of the Hip Hop Caucus in hurricane hit New Orleans, to community organizing in South East Washington, DC, to a national Clean Energy Bus Tour with former Vice President Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection, which visited nine cities across America in seven days.
With Rev Yearwood’s 'Can't Stop Won't Stop' mentality viewers see the high regard in which movement leaders and politicians hold Rev Yearwood alike. He succeeds in bringing twenty-five African American mayors to Capitol Hill for a Green the City summit, as well as enlists the help of various celebrities to highlight the environmental and social injustices that pervade America's poorest urban communities. The documentary featured musician Wyclef Jean, actress Gloria Rueben and activist Van Jones.
“Hip Hop Rev” premiered on Discovery Communications Planet Green Channel April 23, 2011.
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
political life.
He currently serves as President of the Hip Hop Caucus
Hip Hop Caucus
The Hip Hop Caucus is a national, non-profit organization in the United States, which aims to promote political activism for young U.S. voters using hip-hop music and culture....
in Washington, D.C. The Hip Hop Caucus is a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan, organization that engages young people in urban communities in elections, policy making and service projects. Rev. Yearwood was a co-creator of the 2004 campaign "Vote or Die" with Sean "Diddy" Combs. He was also the Political and Grassroots Director for Russell Simmons' Hip Hop Summit Action Network in 2003 and 2004, and a Senior Consultant to Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
's Voice Your Choice. In 2008, he created the "Respect My Vote!" a voter registration and engagement campaign with T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
and Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Myeshia Cole Gibson born October 15, 1981) is an American singer–songwriter and actress. She gained nationwide acclaim when her 2005 debut album, The Way It Is went platinum. Her sophomore album Just Like You went into production shortly after that and was released in September 2007...
.
Rev. Yearwood has appeared on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, BET Tonight
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
, Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
, PBS, Fox
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, C-Span
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
, and Hardball
Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show on MSNBC, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking and later CNBC. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who...
with Chris Mathews and featured in the Washington Post, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and VIBE
VIBE
Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers...
.
Early Life and Education
Rev. Yearwood, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He earned his undergraduate degreeUndergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
from University of the District of Columbia
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia is a historically black, public university located in Washington, D.C. UDC is one of only a few urban land-grant universities in the country and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
in 1998 and was awarded a M.Div.
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
degree from Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
in May 2002. He was the Student Government President at both schools and was issued his honorary doctorate from St, Paul University in May of 2011. He also served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as an Officer and Chaplain.
Early Activism
Rev Yearwood works with celebrities and athletes to engage them in projects that transform communities. He was a co-creator of the 2004 campaign "Vote or Die" with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and the Political and Grassroots Director for Russell Simmons Hip Hop Summit in 2003 and 2004, and functioned as Senior Consultant to Jay Z's “Voice Your Choice” campaign. In addition to his work with the “Voice Your Choice”, he served as a Senior Consultant for P. Diddy’s Citizen Change, where he provided a 50-state strategy for engaging the Hip-Hop generation in community-building dialogues.During the 2004 Presidential election, Rev Yearwood along with Russell Simmons and Jonathan Lewis, created the “Hip Hop Team Vote Bus Tour” Rev. Yearwood is also the founder of Hip Hop Voices, a project of Voices for Working Families (AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
).
H.R. 2206
Rev. Yearwood and others protested the United States Senate passage of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 on 2007-04-26.Yearwood, and thirteen other protesters, were arrested in the Hart Senate Office Building
Hart Senate Office Building
The Hart Senate Office Building, the third U.S. Senate office building, was built in the 1970s. First occupied in November 1982, the Hart Building is the largest of the Senate office buildings. It is named for Philip A. Hart, who served 18 years as a senator from Michigan.-Design and...
Guantanamo Bay
Yearwood organized "Shut It Down", a hip hop concert at 9:30 Club9:30 Club
Foo Fighters Promise to come back to D.C. and play the 9:30 ClubNightclub 9:30 is a nightclub and concert venue in Washington, D.C. Originally located at 930 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C., in the 1970s it was called the "Atlantis Club", and hosted primarily rock, New Wave, and punk bands...
in Washington, DC calling for the end of torture at the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
and for the camp's closure. The concert featured Dead Prez
Dead Prez
Dead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
and several other hip-hop artists. Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and the ACLU partnered with the event.
Hip Hop Caucus
The Hip Hop CaucusHip Hop Caucus
The Hip Hop Caucus is a national, non-profit organization in the United States, which aims to promote political activism for young U.S. voters using hip-hop music and culture....
was founded on September 11, 2004. Since its founding, it has developed approximately 700,000 member database, alongside and field teams in 48 cities across 30 states. The Hip Hop Caucus was established on the premise that the Hip Hop Generation is uniquely qualified to address human-rights for the 21st Century.
Through hip-hop culture, celebrities, media, technology, and grassroots organizing, the caucus mobilizes, educates, and engages young people, ages 14 to 40, on the social issues that directly impact their lives and communities. The work of the Hip Hop Caucus re-shapes how the media, elected officials, and the public view young people. Furthermore, because of Hip Hop’s broad appeal among many constituencies and vast influence in mainstream and global culture, the caucus builds unity across socio-economic and racial divides. Casting a positive light on the Hip Hop Culture, the caucus is able to put forth new and young leaders from urban communities – giving them a space to ‘sit at the table’, have their voices heard, and ultimately make positive change through the democratic process.
Respect My Vote!
In 2008, Respect My Vote!, a national voter engagement campaign, was led by the Hip Hop Caucus and spokesperson, multi-platinum, Grammy Award winning Rapper, T.I. together with other celebrities such as Keyshia Cole, T-Pain, Young Jeezy and more. The campaign successfully registered voters in 12 states and executed a 20 city Bus Tour to Get Out the Vote the month before the 2008 Presidential Election.In 2010, Rev Yearwood and the Hip Hop Caucus revived the Respect My Vote! campaign to engage new and young voters in the mid-term elections.
Make Hip Hop Not War
In March and April 2007 the Hip Hop Caucus did a sixteen city “Make Hip Hop Not War” National Bus Tour with Hip Hop Artists, Iraq War Veterans, youth leaders, peace and security experts, and Members of Congress. Events, rallies and roundtables were held in each city to educate audiences on the costs of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and motivated young people to take action and have their voices heard.The continuation of the “Make Hip Hop Not War” campaign throughout 2007 focused on calls on Congress to de-fund the War in Iraq; raising awareness about the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for communities at home; and exposing the incredible humanitarian tragedy and plight of Iraqi Refugees in the Middle East because of the war.Rev Yearwood and the Hip Hop Caucus increased awareness and, through grassroots advocacy, promoted the closing of Guantanamo Bay and the restoration of Habeas Corpus.
Rev Yearwood is an important leader in the peace movement and an outspoken critic of America’s wars abroad. He was an Officer and Chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve when he first spoke out against the invasion of Iraq in early 2003, and is currently a member of the Iraq Veterans Against the War He was an Officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and led a "Make Hip Hop Not War" national tour to engage more young people in the movement for peace.
Conflict
Petraeus Hearing:Yearwood was arrested by Capitol Hill policeUnited States Capitol Police
The United States Capitol Police is a federal police force charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories.-History:...
outside of a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on 2007-09-10, and charged with disorderly conduct and assault on a police officer. According to Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, spokeswoman for the Capitol Police, Yearwood was stopped from entering the room after allegedly attempting to cut in front of people waiting to get in. “What he tried to do was jump to the front of the line. He was told he couldn’t do that,” Schneider said. “And he pretty much charged at the officers to get past them into the room, after he was told not to.”In a press release from the Hip Hop Caucus Yearwood said that he was prevented from entering the hearing because he was wearing a button that says "I love the people of Iraq." In the press release he called his arrest an example of “democracy while black.” UPI reports that the video being circulated on the Internet "does not seem to show an assault."
Aftermath of the Arrest
Rev Yearwood was treated at George Washington University HospitalGeorge Washington University Hospital
The George Washington University Hospital is a hospital in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It opened on On August 23, 2002, with 371 beds in a 400,000 sq. ft. building, housing than $45 million of medical equipment and cost more than $96 million to construct...
"for injuries to his ankle" according to Liz Havstad, a spokeswoman for the Hip-Hop Caucus. In an interview three days later on the Democracy Now!
Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
news program, Yearwood told Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman is an American progressive broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter and author. Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, an independent global news program broadcast daily on radio, television and the internet.-Early life:Goodman was born in Bay Shore, New York...
that he asked Capitol Police if he could leave the line to do a radio interview and was told okay. In the YouTube video of the arrest, multiple people are heard agreeing that he was already in line. In the interview Yearwood claimed he had torn ligaments in his leg, and said he was on crutches.
The Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign
Rev Yearwood is known for his activist work as the National Director of the Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign, in which he organized a coalition of national and grassroots organizations to advocate for the rights of Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
survivors. On September 19, 2005, David Banner
David Banner
Lavell Crump , better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer and occasional actor. Banner was born in Jackson, Mississippi and graduated from Southern University. He started his music career as a member of the rap duo, Crooked Lettaz before going solo in 2000...
joined forces with fellow artists and Rev. Yearwood for “From the Hill to Hood.” The event was held in New York City to raise money for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.Rev Yearwood led the first march in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in November 2005, to protest the racial profiling of survivors in the days after the storm. The march led to convictions of officers who denied basic human rights to African-American families. The following year the Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign successfully pushed back FEMA’s preemptive temporary housing evictions of Katrina Survivors, through public mobilization, two marches in Washington, DC, testimony to Congress, and a public relations campaign. This work earned the Hip Hop Caucus the prestigious 30th Annual Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award
Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award
The Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award is awarded annually by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Policy Studies. It is awarded to those advancing the cause of human rights in the Americas. The Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award commemorates Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffitt, who in 1976...
.
One World One Voice
Rev Yearwood’s most recent movement “One World One Voice” involves encouraging young people in the U.S. to join the global movement and work to solve climate change. The “Green and City” campaign engages African American mayors in the movement to “green” their cities, and the “Green the Block” is a partnership with the Hip Hop Caucus and Green For All that was launched from the West Wing of the White House in 2009 focusing on education, awareness and service.350 Celebrateion of Earth Day
Rev Yearwood and the Hip Hop Caucus celebrated 350 African Americans that are enriching life on the planet April 22, 2011. 350 honored African Americans from the realms of: media and entertainment, community leaders and professionals, law and politics, and business that each make contributions to the betterment of the planet for all. 350 honored people such as Oprah Winfrey, Lebron James, Cornell West and Lisa Jackson (EPA Administrator).Hip Hop Rev
Rev Yearwood was featured in a documentary entitled “Hip Hop Rev” produced by Discovery Communications. Hip Hop Rev’, a special one hour documentary for Discovery Network’s Planet Green channel, follows a year in the life of Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., a civil rights and environmental activist, and a man of the people.During the course of filming, cameras followed Rev Yearwood from his roots in Louisiana, to the birthplace of the Hip Hop Caucus in hurricane hit New Orleans, to community organizing in South East Washington, DC, to a national Clean Energy Bus Tour with former Vice President Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection, which visited nine cities across America in seven days.
With Rev Yearwood’s 'Can't Stop Won't Stop' mentality viewers see the high regard in which movement leaders and politicians hold Rev Yearwood alike. He succeeds in bringing twenty-five African American mayors to Capitol Hill for a Green the City summit, as well as enlists the help of various celebrities to highlight the environmental and social injustices that pervade America's poorest urban communities. The documentary featured musician Wyclef Jean, actress Gloria Rueben and activist Van Jones.
“Hip Hop Rev” premiered on Discovery Communications Planet Green Channel April 23, 2011.
External links
- Rev Yearwood's Official Site
- Youtube video of Yearwood's September 10, 2007 arrest
- Amy Goodman's Democracy Now interview with the Reverend
- Follow Rev. Yearwood on Twitter!
- Follow Rev. Yearwood's Huffington Post Blog Entries!
- http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/id/215842Rev. Yearwood and Bread for the WorldBread for the WorldBread for the World is a non-partisan, Christian citizens' movement in the United States to end hunger. The organization describes itself as a collective Christian voice urging nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad...
Fight Poverty and Pollution at the Same Time with a "Just and Sustainable Economy"]