Love Yo Mama Environmental Justice Event in East Oakland

Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) is hosting the 1st Annual “Love Yo Mama” Environmental Justice (EJ) Earth Day Event April 25 at 11 a.m. at ACORN Woodland Elementary and Tassafaronga Recreation Centerin East Oakland.

This eco-friendly family fun event celebrates East Oakland resilience by showcasing solutions for environmental health and justice, housing and job opportunities.

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The Black Hour 'goes green'

The Black Hour broadcasts every third Friday on 9th Floor Radio, a Peralta TV college radio station based at Laney College in Oakland. The show is produced by African American students at Laney, and deals with various issues affecting black people. It is the only public affairs show for black students on the station.

And April 17, The Black Hour is "goes green."

The April episode of the monthly show will focus on the "Green movement, as it relates to environmental racism, environmental justice, and social equity," said Executive Producer and Host Reginald James.

"It is our show's one-year anniversary and we want to celebrate the life of the show by honoring the planet that gives life to us all," said James, referring to the show that launched from the Laney Black Student Union (Laney BSU) in 2008. The show also precedes this year's Earth Day, as well as Focus the Nation, an event educating Americans on climate change.

Nehanda Imara, an adjunct professor in Environmental Studies and African American Studies at Laney and Merritt Colleges is the shows premiere guest. Imara is also a community organizer with Communities for a Better Environment (CBE).

Also appearing on the show, Tyrone "Baby Champ" Stevenson, inventor of the "Scraper Bikes" and rapper Tevan El "Virtuous" Emmett. Each will their efforts for environmental justice using Hip Hop and Bay Area youth culture.

And lastly, Peralta recycling interns Tiana Drisker (Laney) and Bhret Skipper (Berkeley City College) will discuss their campuses' efforts to promote sustainability on Peralta campuses.

The show will also discuss the upcoming Proposition A: EasyPass Program, appearing on the Peralta student election ballot on April 28-29. The proposition seeks to lower the cost for Peralta students to ride AC Transit by continuing the Peralta EasyPass program.

--Brandy Smith

This article originally appeared in the Laney Tower.

Last May, The Black Hour was also featured in the Laney Tower.

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The Black Hour host featured on KPFA's Morning Show

The Black Hour host Reginald "Brother Reggie" James appeared on KPFA’s (94.1) Morning Show along with Global Exchange’s Monica Vaughan on Feb. 27.

"Reginald and Monica highlighted the importance of social justice and diverse youth voices in getting both national and international policies passed to combat climate change," according to Global Exchange's blog.

Click here for link to show archive, or click play below. You can also download the episode below.

The Morning Show - February 27, 2009 at 7:00am

Click to listen (or download)

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TBH Photos: Power Shift Conference in Washington DC

The Black Hour host Reginald "Brother Reggie" James is in Washington, DC attending the 2009 Power Shift Conference. James received a scholarship, along with Laney student Tiana Drisker, from Global Exchange to attend the conference. Click the photo above for exclusive photos from the conference.

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TBH News: Laney students headed to Powershift in D.C.

Over 10,000 students and youth are headed to the Nation's Capitol for a historic youth summit on Climate Change, Powershift.

Two Laney College students will be among the thousands attending this year's Powershift.

Tiana Drisker is a nursing student who also works part-time at Communities for a Better Environment (CBE). Tiana was a registered Dental Assistant with one-year of experience when she enrolled received an AA in Liberal Arts from Laney College. She kept on working through her degree, splitting time between her role as a registered dental assistant, student, and EOPS student aid. Most recently, she has been able to utilize her 6+ years experience as an Instructor at Western Career College’s Dental Assistant Program. She has also been involved with the Sustainable Peralta effort.

The second student is non-other than Reginald James, aka Brother Reggie, Executive Producer of The Black Hour. James initiated the Peralta EasyPass program that gives full-time students semester-long unlimited ride bus passes for $50 per semester.

He currently interns at AC Transit in External Affairs. James also serves as Managing Editor of the Harambee Newspaper (http://www.harambeenews.com) where he writes the column, "Red, Black & GREEN."

Both Drisker and James received scholarships to attend from Global Exchange, an international human rights organization based in San Francisco that focuses on social, economic and environmental justice.

The summit, being organized by the Energy Action Coalition and a network of other organizations, will have numerous workshops and sessions focusing on building a new economy based on renewable energy. Students will also participate in lobbying congress on March 2.

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Global Warming Teach-In at Laney

You don’t have to have Super Powers to save the world. You just need information and dedication.

That was the message given to students during the National Teach-In on Global Warming held Feb. 5 at Laney College.



“You’ve heard about global warming and climate change, but not you’re going to hear some of the details,” said Geography Professor Mark Rauzon; organizer of Laney’s teach-in. Laney joined millions of people, including 67 California schools—eighteen of which were community colleges—who participated in a dialogue to save the impoverished planet.

Global warming is the increase in the Earth’s temperature. While there are natural causes, the heating of the globe has increased due to human activity.

Laney’s teach-in began with a web cast with messages from national leaders in the fight against global warming, including a welcome from U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chair of the Senate Environmental Committee. Boxer was followed by Eban Goodstein, national teach-in co-director.

"You will be the greatest generation because you will bring an end to global warming."
Eban Goodstein

“You will be the greatest generation because you will bring an end to global warming,” said Goodstein, who also organized ‘Focus the Nation’—the 2008 teach-in that included nearly 2000 colleges, schools and community organizations. He said the National Teach-In was organized to encourage Americans to discuss solutions for the first 100 days of the new administration. “You have to demand leadership from faculty” on campus “and demand action from Congress,” he added.

Goodstein emphasized the need for young people to stay involved, especially with the momentum gained from the recent election, which young people largely decided.

My introduction to environmentalism was through recycling, but I didn’t do it for Mother Earth at first...I collected cans for cash. A different kind of ‘green’ and a different kind of ‘change.'
Reginald James

The Black Hour host Reginald James, who also interns at Alameda Contra-Costa Transit (AC Transit), shared his own personal experiences with environmentalism and the power students have to enact change.

“My introduction to environmentalism was through recycling, but I didn’t do it for Mother Earth at first,” said James. “I collected cans for cash. A different kind of ‘green’ and a different kind of ‘change,’ right?”

James shared his experience as a student advocating for a discounted group bus pass program for Peralta students. A pilot program called the Peralta EasyPass began in 2008 and over 1,200 students took advantage in the fall semester, according to James.

“Students have power, but you have to exercise it,” said James. “You can help us with the upcoming referendum to make the bus pass program permanent or join your campus’ ‘Green Club.’

We are the greatest generation; we just have to act like it."

This article originally appeared in the Harambee Newspaper at HarambeeNews.com

Related Post: TBH host speaks on Global Warming

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TBH Photos: The Black Hour hosts speaks on Global Warming and Climate Change

 
Reginald James (aka Brother Reggie), host of The Black Hour, spoke during Laney College professor Mark Rauzon's Geography classes for the National Teach-In on Climate Change. James, an intern at AC Transit discussed carbon emissions, environmental racism and environmental justice, and how students can be involved in the fight against Climate Change.
 
For more information about the Teach-In, visit http://www.nationalteachin.org.

Photos by Mark Rauzon/www.rauzon.com

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