In an effort to drive environmental reform, actress Antonique Smith and activist the Rev. Lennox Yearwood have joined forces to launch Climate Revival, a nonprofit that uses culture, art and music to mobilize communities of faith and people of color and spearhead the transition to a healthy planet.
“We must bring our culture, our creativity and our collective power to this movement and bring it to the forefront. Having the faith community and having that power source allows us to not only have the power of faith, but to change hearts and minds, to mobilize action and to hopefully hold power accountable,” said Yearwood, who also founded Hip Hop Caucus.
Climate Revival serves as a beacon of change for underrepresented communities that fall victim to environmental injustices, tackling specific narratives such as climate change, pollution, fossil fuels, and other common hindrances to people of color.
By combining the power of grassroots action with faith and storytelling, the nonprofit aims to shift public perception, build a broader support base and press policymakers to take a stand in the fight for a greener planet.
“Engaging the faith communities is using every tool at our disposal. These industries have treated our neighborhoods as sacrifice zones, releasing toxic emissions that drive up cancer rates, exacerbate respiratory illnesses and cause this untold suffering among our people,” Yearwood told The Informer. “Climate Revival is going out to churches. We’re going to elevate the voices of the faith community. We’re going to tell those stories of those who endure the daily impact of living under these facilities, this pollution, and we’re going to make sure that these stories are brought to light.”
New Bethel Baptist Church in Northwest, D.C. hosted the official launch gospel concert on Sept. 13, a testament to the co-founders’ commitment to integrating faith with creativity in a call to action. Coupled with praise and worship from Smith, New Bethel Choir, and Tony and Grammy award-winning performer Leslie Odom Jr., the event showcased motivational speakers like environmentalist Maya Penn, Time 100 recipient Sharon Lavigne, and more.
The passionate faith leaders and eco-activists shared testimonies of environmental injustices that have not only plagued their hometowns, but disproportionately affected minorities as a whole. Amongst the list: heat waves, flooding, climate change, and air pollution.
“I think that we zoom in on the climate union and what is approaching us, and we flee in fear. And this is why I also recognize how the goal of oppressive systems is to make us feel weary, tired and powerless,” Penn told the congregation. “Climate optimism and climate joy are incredibly powerful tools for tangible action. People put optimism in proximity to naivety when really, especially in times of emergency and crisis like this, it’s one of the greatest things that you can embody.”
The award-winning founder of Maya’s Ideas, an eco-friendly fashion company, underscored the need for “intergenerational collaboration” to amplify resources and insights that can lead to a better planet.
“Not only have we never faced a challenge like this before in history, we are also at a point in history where we have never had so many environmentalist heroes and solutionists…under a shared cause,” she said. “As a member of Generation Z, I often hear from people of older generations that they’re leaving this fight in our hands. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation.”
‘It’s About Righting Historical Wrongs’
Environmental injustices have continued to plague the Black community at an unjust rate compared to white counterparts.
A 2020 New York Times Magazine report found that Black Americans are exposed to 1.5 times as much fossil fuel pollution as the population at large, revealing a correlation between the many people of color residing in communities adjacent to petrochemical facilities, power plants, and other sources of pollution.
Part of the work lies in challenging harmful practices, like the development of toxic infrastructures in Black neighborhoods and the funds allocated towards it, but as Yearwood told The Informer, it takes more than funding to make a difference.
“It’s about righting historical wrongs and ensuring that those who are most affected by environmental harm are at the forefront of the solutions. We know either you shape policy or policy shapes you, but we also know that policy alone isn’t enough, and so we must connect these investments to the lived experiences of our communities,” he said. “Showcasing how funding can rebuild our neighborhoods, create jobs and improve lives, that’s the key thing here.”
Yearwood and Smith are set to embark on an electoral tour to various churches, starting Oct. 10 in Louisiana, and continuing on to North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. A reflection of Climate Revival’s plan of action, the tour – sloganed “Get Out the Message” – aims to forward the climate justice movement by educating faith communities on how to protect the earth and recognize the ways environmental racism exists around them.
“We know the Supreme Court is poised to overturn long-standing legal precedents that have protected our environment for decades,” Yearwood said, citing recent legislation that has restricted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s involvement in environmental action. “We need our faith community to take decisive action and measures to ensure that our communities know what’s at stake.”
Yearwood emphasized how Climate Revival will work to make a difference.
“What you can expect from Climate Revival is to inform our community, educate them,” he said. “We’re using the culture that the faith community knows, so that it doesn’t seem foreign to them. It’s time for us to mobilize, organize and demand that our decision-makers step up to the plate…and protect our planet for future generations. God has called us to be good stewards of this planet, and so we’re going to do everything we can to be the best stewards that we can be.”
As Climate Revival prepares for its electoral tour this month, the organization’s mission remains clear: the future of the world is in the people’s hands, and the best way to save it is through unity, faith and a commitment to a better planet.
“We talk about leaving a better place for our future generations, for our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But…if things continue the way they’re going right now, we are going to have a real hard time living on this planet,” Smith said. “There is a real villain, there is a culprit, and if we mobilize and unify…it doesn’t have to be something that we just get used to. It’s something that we can fight and something that we can win.”