Underwater Projects’ Premiere — Climate Week NYC on September 23, 2024
Credit: Hip Hop Caucus
On Monday evening, Hip Hop Caucus, the national nonprofit organization at the intersection of art, activism, and hip-hop culture, celebrated the Green Carpet Premiere of the short film UNDERWATER PROJECTS during New York Climate Week. Along with Hip Hop Caucus President & CEO Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. and Hip Hop Caucus’ Managing Director and COO Liz Havstad, key environmental activists and influencers attended the premiere including sustainability activist Anya Dillard.
Narrated by comedian Wanda Sykes and directed by Liz Havstad, UNDERWATER PROJECTS focuses on the coastal urban flooding in the Hampton Roads area of Virgina, where the world’s largest naval base is vulnerable to sinking. The insufficient flood walls end where a housing project and a historic African American community begins. Underwater Projects mixes animation with live action to profile the area’s local leaders as they rush to create climate resilience plans to face an uncertain future. The film is available to view on We Shall Breath.com.
For Climate Week, Hip Hop Caucus kicked off the virtual “We Shall Breathe” Summit ahead of the premiere. The summit highlighted the interconnected struggles for climate justice, economic justice, and voting rights through the perspectives of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities in the U.S. South and the Global South. Performances included singer Jade Novah, rapper & motivational speaker Yellopain, and musician AY Young. In addition to the NYC premiere, Hip Hop Caucus is hosting community screenings of UNDERWATER PROJECTS in key markets.
