We laughed, we gasped, we listened and we taught. This past weekend at the seventh annual Hollywood Climate Summit, Hip Hop Caucus participated in a panel discussion and sponsored a variety comedy show to close out the summit. Meeting and connecting with all of the summit attendees felt like all of our email threads coming to life. There is so much work that is done across time zones and virtually but there is so much power in being able to co-mingle in person to address the issues impacting our climate.
One of the questions that the summit posed was can we truly break up with plastic? On day two of the summit, Hip Hop Caucus President and CEO Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. spoke on a panel to discuss the latest Netflix documentary Plastic Detox, along with the team behind the film such as, Co-director and Producer Josh Murphy and Associate Professor, Columbia University, breast cancer & endocrine disruptor researcher Dr. Jasmine McDonald. The panel was moderated by Founder of The Green Room, Creator and Environmentalist, Lauren Bash who led a compelling, yet grounded conversation around plastic exposure.
The conversation started out addressing Murphy’s choice to utilize infertility as an angle to convey the severity of plastic exposure. “There are so many issues that we need to pay attention to, but we can’t connect unless we have a person to connect to,” says Murphy, as he breaks down the goal of the film. “When Louis and I set out to make this film, it was how can we tell a story that makes people after seeing it re-question their entire relationship with this material?”
That is exactly what Plastic Detox does, through the infertility research of Dr. Shanna Swan the film ties plastic exposure to widespread infertility, then connects this issue with real people. By showcasing couples struggling with infertility and other forms of plastic exposure we are unaware of, it allows viewers to see how they may be directly impacted by it. Rev. Yearwood is featured in the film as an expert and native of ‘Cancer Alley,’ where a Formosa plastics plant is located and responsible for polluting predominantly Black neighborhoods.
“These plastic companies think these communities are the path of least resistance, and because of that they are then putting these facilities in our communities,” says Rev. Yearwood explaining why Black and Brown communities are the most polluted. “ I only do this work because I am particularly tired of seeing Black and Brown people die, because people’s business’ plans means a death sentence for our communities.”
A clip from Plastic Detox is shown mid panel that showcases Rev. Yearwood with environmental justice activist and founder and director of RISE St. James, Sharon Lavigne who takes the audience through her community detailing all the people that have been diagnosed with or died of cancer. The most disheartening realization is when Rev. Yearwood states she has listed out about forty people and we haven’t even gone a mile.
It goes without saying, based on the crowd’s stark reactions, attendees left the Plastic Detox panel discussion with more information and clarity than they came in with before.
In between the sessions the summit’s attendees were able to gather in the venue’s courtyard green space, enjoy delicious vegan food, meet vendors and network with other climate organizations and organizers. Our social media team at the Hip Hop Caucus took the breaks to conduct man on the street interviews with guests to get their opinions on the climate focus in Hollywood. Questions like what streaming platforms feature climate content and did you know facts about the petrochemical and plastic were asked. We were able to get some unexpected answers and bring knowledge to our timeline for followers that may not have been able to attend the summit.
The summit ended with a blaze of joy with the Scorched, comedy variety show that included an array of talented performers and hosted by Climate Comedian Esteban Gast. Out of the performers was Hip Hop Caucus very own Brittany Bell-Surratt, who left the crowd with stomach pains with her jokes about Christy Noms cross dressing husband to calling out the fake climate solutions. Among the other performers were actor and comedian Rasheda Crockett, Magician and TV writer Andrew Zuber, Comedian, writer and puppeteer Brad Einstein and CU Boulder students Chloe Hull, Koyote Manske, Liam Connelly, & Sam Nelson. The headliner for the evening was Reggie Watts, who was able to perform live songs with a beat machine about the climate crisis. Many of the performances called attention to the petrochemical and micro plastic industries, Einstein in particular made a hilarious presentation and song about the Shell oil and gas company’s hypocrisy to promote women engineers even though they only make up 10% of their employees. CU Boulder students performed a skit about a big time oil tycoon realizing the errors of his ways.
When it comes to the climate crisis it doesn’t always have to be doom and gloom, there are ways to frame these narratives in a relatable and hilarious way. There is still much work to be done but events like the Hollywood Climate Summit allows for those in this fight to be recharged, educated and empowered to push these issues forward in the right direction. Until next time!
If you would like to watch the Hollywood Climate sessions check out their YouTube Playlist.
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