Rev. Lennox Yearwood on why 'racial justice is climate justice'

The conviction of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd is a milestone in the movement for Black lives and racial justice. It is a rare moment of accountability for the police killings of black, indigenous and people of color. Since 2005, 140 police officers have been arrested for on-duty killings in the U.S.; just 7 were convicted of murder. Chauvin’s conviction comes during Earth Week, the days of environmental activism leading up to Earth Day on April 22. A central part of Earth Week this year is the We Shall Breathe virtual summit, which connects the climate crisis to issues of pollution, poverty, police brutality, and the Covid-19 pandemic, and places them all within a racial justice framework. We Shall Breathe is sponsored by the Hip Hop Caucus, led by its founder and president, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. Rev. Yearwood is a minister, community activist, U.S. Air Force veteran, and a national leader in the environmental justice movement. “Climate justice is racial justice, and racial justice is climate justice,” Rev. Yearwood tells the Vermont Conversation. “I believe that another world is possible that is not based on extraction,” says Yearwood. “I believe that another world is possible where you are not judged by the hue of your skin. That we can be brothers and sisters. That we can coexist together.”