Month: December 2019

Local action is where it’s at! Think 100% goes on the road to host an inspiring conversation about local solutions following a film screening of Paris to Pittsburgh at the 2019 National Forum for Black Public Administrators ( NFBPA). The film from National Geographic tells the story of what climate change is doing to communities already, and what people, cities, and urban and rural communities are doing across the country to create and implement climate solutions. Guest host Brandi Williams, a Hip Hop Caucus leader from Charlotte, is joined by three young local climate leaders and activists, and event attendees for an in-depth discussion about implementing models of climate action and climate-justice. 

This episode was recorded as part of a series of Paris to Pittsburgh events hosted by Hip Hop Caucus city teams that brought together community leaders, advocates, government officials, and young people. Events were hosted in Orlando, Harlem, Charlotte, Virginia Beach, Detroit, New Orleans, Miami, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Boston. The community-based events feature free film screenings, followed by discussions, networking, and coordination of collective actions to address climate impacts through just-solutions that will strengthen communities disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental injustices. 

Episode Guests

• Brandi Williams, City Coordinator, Hip Hop Caucus Charlotte
• Chris Castro, Director, Office of Sustainability & Resilience, City of Orlando 
• Michelle Suarez, Regional Director, Organize Florida
• Robin Harris, Florida Climate and Environmental Justice Advocate

Paris to Pittsburgh is a new film from National Geographic, produced by RadicalMedia in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, and narrated by Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winning actress and activist Rachel Brosnahan. It tells the story of what climate change is doing to communities already, and what people, cities, and urban and rural communities are doing across the country to take action, all while the Trump administration denies climate change is happening.

Women, people of color, and young people are leading the climate movement. Three leaders join Think 100% live at the 4th National Adaptation Forum in Madison, Wisconsin, to discuss how they’re working at the intersections of the climate crisis, building stronger communities through local action and just-solutions. 

Episode Guests

• Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway – Madison, WI
• Zelalem Adefris – Resilience Director at Catalyst Miami (based in Miami, FL)
• Victoria Benson – Movement Strategy Center (based in Oakland, CA)

Our hosts get live in Brooklyn at the Confluence Philanthropy Annual Practitioner’s Gathering with legendary journalist Amy Goodman, co-founder and host of Democracy Now, highly recognized New York based poet/Hip-Hop artist and incarcerated youth activist Messiah Ramkissoon, and Dr. Ellen Dorsey, Executive Director of Wallace Global Fund. 

Amy gives us a deep-dive about how the media is reporting on the climate crisis and shares stories from the field, including having a warrant out for her arrest following her reporting at Standing Rock. Dr. Ellen Dorsey breaks-down philanthropy’s role propeling climate justice through investment that aligns with values, including divesting from fossil fuels and investing in a sustainable future. Messiah blesses us with some culture, performing powerful poetry.

Follow our guests on social media:

• Amy Goodman – @democracynow 
• Ellen Dorsey – @WallaceGlobal
• Messiah Ramkissoon – @AllMessiah

From being an artist, starring on such TV series as How To Get Away With Murder, Insecure, and The Vampire Diaries, to being a non-stop activist organizing for social and climate justice, Kendrick Sampson embodies “artivism”.  His experiences with Hurricane Harvey and Standing Rock impart the structural inequalities driving environmental racism and how we need all hands on deck to to rebuild our democracy. 

Kendrick Sampson joins Think 100% cohost Antonique Smith to discuss the importance of “artivism”, how artists are using their platforms for activism, and the need to confront issues gridlocking justice and the climate crisis, including race, politics, and money. 
Learn more about Kendrick’s organization BLD PWR at bldpwr.com and follow him on social media @Kendrick38.