The Hip Hop Caucus and T.I. have joined forces to launch a voter registration and “Get Out the Vote” campaign that combines the power of celebrity and media with 21st century grassroots organizing tactics targeting adult between the ages 18 – 29 to vote in the upcoming Presidential election.
Many folks in 2004 felt the “Vote or Die” campaign was a little disorganized and at the end of the day… ineffective. But I have seen what Rev. Yearwood has done since then to sustain that growth. The question is, will the lessons learned be applied by the community itself. What are your thoughts? Below I started a Seesmic thread on this. Sorry for the loud background noise… I am in a coffee shop. I would love your video response. What are your thoughts?
I have worked with Son of Nun through the Hip Hop Caucus and Amnesty International. In fact in Juneteenth 2007 I worked on his backdrop for the “Shut it Down” show at the 9:30 Club I put on with the Caucus. Here is a latest profile of a great MC/Activists:
I was a Senior Consultant for the Hip Hop Caucus during this tour. The video just got posted on Current TV’s video post, and has made (within one week) the 7th most watched video on that channel. Very proud: video here.
This site is in beta but is just sick. I have not been floored by new sites as much as I am with this. This is powerful stuff! Take a look at this video… and then the site! Specifically the lessons and the battles.
Washington, D.C. – Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., president of the Hip Hop Caucus and peace activist, announced today that the D.C. Superior Court dismissed charges against him of assaulting a Capitol Police officer while in line to attend a hearing in the House of Representatives. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) represents Rev. Yearwood in his case.
On September 10th, Rev. Yearwood waited in the line for several hours in order to watch General David Petraeus testify before Congress. Minutes before the start of the hearing, Rev. Yearwood was told by Capitol Police that he would not be allowed to enter. When Rev. Yearwood questioned why he was being excluded from the open hearing, he was surrounded by officers and tackled to the ground. He suffered torn ligaments and a sprained ankle.
Rev. Yearwood received letters of support from organizations including Amnesty International and the Black Leadership Forum. Americans across the country contacted the Capitol Police Department and members of Congress about the extreme and unjust charges.
The entire incident was caught on film and is available here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=qiradcejA6o
Rev. Yearwood said leaving the courtroom Friday, “I am relieved the charges were dropped, but they never should have been brought against me. This one incident in 2007 has moved us back to 1957, where people of color are once again afraid to walk the halls of Congress. I am more heartbroken for the young people for whom I work to make government more accessible and transparent, who are now fearful of coming to the Capitol. We have an apartheid political system, where democracy while Black isn’t the same as democracy while White. These officers and the U.S. Capitol Police must be held accountable by our members of Congress for their horrendous actions.”
Anne Weismann, CREW’s chief counsel said today, “While we are gratified that these charges against Reverend Yearwood have been dismissed, we remain outraged that he was arrested in first place. We hope that the House Leadership will review this incident and take steps to ensure that it never happens again.”
Rev. Yearwood still faces charges of disorderly conduct stemming from this incident.
Please show your solidarity by coming to his arraignment on September 11th.
He is being held overnight in jail and will be arraigned tomorrow at 1:00 in DC Superior Court (500 Indiana Ave.)
This is near the Judiciary Square Metro Stop.
Rev. Yearwood did not assault the police or even resist them. We hear he is being charged with a felony resisting arrest. This is often done when police overreact and use unnecessary force in order to justify their actions. This is a serious charge. The community needs to come out today and show their support for this important spokesperson for our cause.
The Hip Hop Hoodios, a Latino-Jewish urban collective is releasing a new EP entitled “Viva la Guantanamera” on August 7th. 18% of all profits will be donated to Amnesty International and will go towards our efforts to close the prisons at Guantanamo Bay and to encourage the full restoration of Habeas Corpus! The main song on the EP is called “We are the World” and features the Hip Hop Hoodios, Wildog, Frank London and Lorin Sklamberg of The Klezmatics, Kemo the Blaxican of Latin hip hop pioneers Delinquent Habits, and instrumentalists Walter Miranda from the Beastie Boys and Plastilina Mosh and Chris Washburne from The Syotos Band and Tito Puente! Other songs include tracks from the Hip Hop Hoodios earlier albums.
If you choose to buy the EP on iTunes you will get an exclusive bonus track which is an awesome live performance of “Ocho Kandelikas” that the Hip Hop Hoodios recorded on LATV. If you get it on eMusic you’ll get another exclusive track called “Tu Margarita” that is an anthem regarded as the greatest reggaeton song of ALL TIME (and it was recorded in only one hour!)
You can listen to “Viva la Guantanamera” here now. Click here to listen.
An Open Letter to America: “Now is the time for us to stand up and stand together”
By Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr.
July 1, 2007
My Fellow Americans:
The power of our voices against the U.S. occupation of Iraq is reaching the top echelons of the military and the administration. Our government is persecuting Americans who speak out against the U.S. military presence in Iraq. The U.S. military has launched politicized attacks on its own military members and moral leaders who oppose the war to discredit their voices of dissent.
We have seen them target Cpl. Adam Kokesh to stop him from exercising his freedom of speech, after risking his life in Fallujah, Iraq. We have seen them threaten Sgt. Liam Madden for publicly stating the legal fact that the U.S. invasion is a war crime according to the Nuremberg principles. They have targeted Cpl. Cloy Richards, a soldier put in the media spotlight when his mother Tina Richards worked to get him the health care he needs after returning from Iraq eighty percent disabled. These are not happenstance targets. These young men are leaders of the Iraq Veterans Against the War and they are speaking out in a strong and coordinated way.
And now I have been targeted.
Who am I? Many of you know me as a reverend, an activist, an architect of Hip Hop politics and a freedom fighter, but I am also an Officer in the United States Air Force Reserve. I have long been in the struggle for peace and freedom and I serve proudly as a leader of faith. I joined the military as part of the “poor peoples draft” – to help pay for my education. In May 2000 I was commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and was accepted into the Chaplain Candidates program. In 2002 I graduated from Howard University School of Divinity, Magna Cum Laude. I was ordained a Reverend and Elder in the Church of God in Christ shortly after my graduation and today I remain in good standing in the Church. In May 2003 I completed the Chaplain Candidates program, but I decided not to pursue a career as a Chaplain in the Air Force. I have been in the Air Force Reserve Individual Reserve program ever since.
On March 26th of this year I received notification from the Air Force that they are taking action to honorably discharge me on the basis of “behavior clearly inconsistent with the interest of national security.” Ironically, this letter arrived six days after I announced the launching of a national “Make Hip Hop Not War” Tour at a press conference on Capitol Hill.
On July 12, 2007, when I leave Robbins Air Force Base after my discharge hearing, whether I remain an Officer or not, I will be a leader always, and a patriot evermore committed to ending this immoral war.
In February 2003 I felt the sense of urgency many felt in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq to speak out. Even though I was only a Chaplain Candidate and a 2 nd Lieutenant, when I had the opportunity to preach at Andrews Air Force Base, the home of Air Force One, the message that I preached was “Who Would Jesus Bomb?” Since then hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and thousands of Americans have lost their lives and we now face a state of permanent warfare in our world.
This moment in history is our generation’s lunch-counter moment – Iraq is our Vietnam and New Orleans is our Birmingham. Our generation could be the generation to defeat racism, poverty and war, but only if we come together as people of conscience. In the movements of the 60’s, solidarity among the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement was never truly achieved. As the “Hip Hop generation” – a generation where the sons and daughters of former slaves work side by side with the sons and daughters of former slave owners – we have the ability to bridge the gap and link movements for peace, justice, civil rights and the environment in true solidarity.
We will not make the world safer – or achieve true national security – by starting wars that put our humanity at risk and we are certainly not making our country safer by intimidating veterans who courageously speak out. Policies that address the issues of poverty, racism, climate change, the economy and jobs are at the core of national security. I will continue to speak out against the war, seek justice for Katrina survivors, fight against racism, struggle for equality and advocate for a healthy planet. I hardly think that this sort of behavior is “inconsistent with the interest of national security.”
My brothers and sisters, opposition to this illegal war and occupation is not a cause - it constitutes a response to a state of emergency. It is our urgent responsibility to stop this war. According to the Book of Psalms, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” I know it looks bad now and our hope seems to wane and sometimes we want to give up. But, if we can all come together - black and white, brown and yellow, rich and poor, male and female, straight and gay, republican and democrat - whether you still love this country or are withdrawn in anger, not only can we defeat this war and restore justice and democracy, there will once again be joy in the morning.
My mother in the movement, Cindy Sheehan, will be with me on July 12th at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia and I urge you to join me on the 12 th as well. I also urge you to continue to increase your activism. This is our lunch-counter moment.
For Future Generations,
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr.
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. is President of the Hip Hop Caucus.
Much needed donations to his legal defense fund can be made at:
Online donations: www.hiphopcaucus.org
Checks, money orders or cash can be sent to:
Hip Hop Caucus
1112 16th St. NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036.
You can contact the Hip Hop Caucus at 202.787.5256 or at info@hiphopcaucus.org.
Where: Warner Robbins (100 miles south of Atlanta), GA Hwy 129 & Martin Luther King Blvd.
Why: To stand in solidarity with Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. as he faces his United States Air Force separation hearing.
What: Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. is facing discharge from the United States Air Force Reserve Individual Reserve as he is being charged that his behavior is “inconsistent with the interest of national security.”
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. intends to hold a candle light vigil at Martin Luther King’s tomb in Atlanta, GA on the evening before he returns to Washington DC. Time to be determined.
If you are unable to attend, please send much needed donations for Rev. Yearwood’s Defense fund:
Online Donations: HipHopCaucus.org
Checks, Money Orders or Cash:
Hip Hop Caucus
1112 16th St NW Ste. 600
Washington, D.C. 20036
For more information contact Tina Richards 573.247.8059
Tina@GrassrootsAmerica4us.org
Info@hiphopcaucus.org
lennox yearwood
