Thursday, August 14, 2008

Newest Million DJ March Speaker: Rev. Lennox Yearwood

Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., is a minister, community activist, and one of the most influential people in Hip Hop political life. Firmly grounded in his Caribbean and Louisiana roots, Rev. Yearwood is a fierce advocate for human and civil rights in the 21st century. A powerful and fiery orator, Rev. Yearwood works diligently and tirelessly to encourage the Hip Hop generation to utilize its political and social voice.

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 inspires and motivates those born after the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

Rev. Yearwood was a co-creator of the 2004 campaign "Vote or Die" with Sean "P Diddy" Combs. He was also the Political and Grassroots Director for Russell Simmons' Hip Hop Summit Action Network, and a Senior Consultant to Jay Z's Voice Your Choice.

Rev. Yearwood was the National Director of the Letelier-Moffitt Human rights Award winning, Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign in which he organized a coalition of national organizations and grassroots organizations to advocate for the rights of Hurricane Katrina survivors. Rev. Yearwood has become an important figure in the peace movement as an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq and the Bush Administration. He was an Officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and led the "Make Hip Hop Not War" national bus tour to engage more young people in the movement for peace.

He is currently working with Grammy Award Winning artist T.I. and Platinum Selling artist Keisha Cole on Respect My Vote! which is a non-partisan voter registration, education, and mobilization campaign of the Hip Hop Caucus. This groundbreaking initiative focuses on the 18-29 year old demographic that did not attend college.

No comments: