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Dear UPROSE Community,
Autumn embodies the season of harvest and emboldens us to embrace our most creative energy. It is the season of Introspection, Intuition, Balance, Release and Transition! With that being said, NYC Climate Week is approaching and that means investors, fossil fuel companies, governmental agencies, CEOs of environmental organizations and their followers will be centering their goals and ambitions in a city of nearly 6 million people of color.
UPROSE, located in Sunset Park, the largest significant maritime area in New York City, will be hosting a series called NYC Frontline Climate Week. As deeply urban, Brooklyn-based Black and Indigenous women, we flow to a different rhythm, centering racial justice, community, and people while honoring our matriarchal and ancestral traditions! In our continued push for a Just Transition, we are grounded in the practice and principles of a Feminist economy. A Feminist economy seeks to heal the long-lasting effects of the patriarchal system we resist—one that has historically ignored and undervalued the contributions of women, especially Black and Brown women, who are essential to restoring balance and peace. It challenges the conventional focus on markets, profits, and GDP, instead emphasizing the importance of care for people, equity, social justice, and sustainability in economic systems. It promotes a more equitable and inclusive economic framework that accounts for the social, political, and environmental dimensions of economic life, which are needed for achieving a Just Transition.
And how are we doing this? Well among our offerings for the week, the Climate Justice Lives Here! Festival is a beautiful example of a Just Transition–a moment where popular education and joy meet, centering the intergenerational power of Black and Brown people who are operationalizing frontline solutions and demanding a rematriation of Mother Earth. We have an operational plan called the GRID 2.0, which comes from 10 years of community-based planning designed to decarbonize our neighborhood and generate community ownership and wealth. Ten years ago, UPROSE played a leading role in ensuring the People's Climate March of 2014 was led, shaped, and informed by those of us from the communities most impacted by the racist legacy of extraction. We understood the importance of authentic and meaningful representation. We know when our stories aren't lifted, they get lost–and most importantly, we know we speak for ourselves. Ten years ago, we collectively built institutions like the Climate Justice Alliance, built alliances like NY Renews, passed legislation like the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, and changed our local landscape while centering Black and Brown intergenerational power that leads with frontline solutions - and this season marks the 10th year of our harvest as we continue to gather, learn and create solutions. Joy is essential to a movement where people have had to endure a legacy of multiple crises - this month we will take space to express our culture of practice and embody the spirit of our Ancestors. UPROSE is always centered on joy.
At the Climate Justice Lives Here! Festival, our learning Circles include a Just Transition, exploring shifting from an extractive economy to a regenerative one. Wellness, celebrating ancestral knowledge around healing our bodies through the use of herbs, including how to grow native plants. We will be deconstructing the toxicity of fast fashion centering a Gender Justice and Feminist economy. The deconstructed runway will offer an opportunity to rethink our consumption and how our bodies and vulnerabilities are exploited for profit and how our people's history of adornment throughout history is commodified and sold right back to us. And because women and children will be the most impacted by recurrent extreme weather events, we will have a children's village to gently introduce our children to climate change - we will do all these things in the midst of art builds, performances, bomba, and local food. Most importantly thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, this event is free and open to families and all ages, fostering intergenerational conversations and upholding our culture of storytelling which is essential to the survival of our traditions.
Let's welcome the age of the Matriarchy, to honor holistic cultures of practice that honor our ancestors and heal mother earth so that she can continue to provide for her children.
Ours is a counternarrative to the crisis–a narrative about what is possible.
Carrying the Light!
Nyiesha and the UPROSE team
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At the Climate Justice Lives Here! Festival, you won’t want to miss these two fierce women who will set the stage for a celebration of community, culture, and frontline solutions for climate justice. | | |
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First up, serving as our MC, is Jeanine Ramirez—a Sunset Park native, UPROSE Board member, and an award-winning journalist with over two decades of experience in NYC media. You may know Jeanine from her time at NY1 News, where she covered pivotal events like 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy, always with a keen focus on Brooklyn and Latino issues. With five Emmy nominations and a host of other accolades, Jeanine brings unparalleled energy and insight to our festival. She also co-hosts the "The 5 Of Us" podcast and runs her own media consulting company. Jeanine’s deep ties to the community and passion for storytelling make her the perfect MC for this celebration of climate justice!
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Monday Blue, daughter of the Southern Diaspora and one of the best DJs in Brooklyn, will be turning up the energy and lighting up the stage. Known for their unmatched ability to seamlessly blend genres and uplift any crowd, Monday Blue turns every set into a celebration of culture and community. A musical powerhouse, they’ve energized festivals, rallies, and social justice movements across the city. Monday Blue will deliver a performance that bridges music and activism, uniting us through sound and spirit for a high-energy experience that will keep you on your feet.
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Frontline Climate Week 2024 | | |
Join UPROSE for the “Climate Justice Lives Here!” Festival on September 28th, 2024, in Sunset Park. This significant event concludes NYC Climate Week and marks the 10th anniversary of the People’s Climate March, celebrating the pivotal role of frontline communities in advancing climate justice. The festival will take place at the Brooklyn Army Terminal waterfront, offering a vibrant array of activities including cultural performances, poetry readings, learning circles, and art projects, all centered around raising awareness for climate justice. A multicultural food bazaar featuring local vendors will provide delicious offerings, while a dynamic multi-media communications strategy will amplify the often-overlooked voices and stories during Climate Week, ensuring the message—Solutions Are Local—echoes far and wide. Visit our Frontline Climate Justice Week HERE! | |
Climate Justice Lives Here! Festival - Sept 28th | | |
Climate Just Lives Here! Festival is a day of action, and we’re calling on you to volunteer! Help us create a festival you won’t want to miss. By participating, you’ll not only engage in meaningful activities but also ensure that New York City’s youth have an impactful experience. Whether it’s assisting with art builds or supporting learning circles, your contribution matters. Sign up for orientation by scanning the QR code or RSVP HERE for September 15, 2024! | |
PEAK Coalition Issues Comments on Air Permit for Rikers Island
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"The PEAK Coalition – UPROSE, THE POINT CDC, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA), New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), and Clean Energy Group (CEG) – submitted comments to the New York State Department of Environment Conservation (DEC) on the Title V Air Permit for fossil generators on Rikers Island. The coalition urged that the draft permit be denied due to its failure to account for local law that plans for Rikers Island prison to be shut down, as well as its lack of sufficient pollution mitigation measures to reduce harm to nearby overburdened communities. Read the full comments here. Individuals who wish to send letters asking DEC to deny the permit can do so here." | |
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September 5, 2024: Frontline Solutions Towards a Just Transition
Moderated by Penn Loh, Senior Lecturer and Director of Community Practice at Tufts University, this session focused on frontline solutions for a just transition in the face of climate change. In addition to Elizabeth Yeampierre, notable speakers included María Belén Power, Undersecretary of Environmental Justice and Equity, and Dwaign Tyndal, Executive Director of ACE. The event explored community-driven approaches to sustainability, centering marginalized voices in the fight for environmental justice.
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September 3, 2024: Lawyer in the Age of Climate Change
Our Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director of UPROSE and an influential leader in the fight for climate justice, delivered an inspiring talk on the intersection of law and climate change. The session highlighted how legal frameworks can evolve to address environmental challenges effectively and the importance of community leadership in driving systemic change. Co-sponsored by various student groups, the session was well-attended and sparked meaningful dialogue on the role of lawyers in climate advocacy.
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Join Us for a Creative Climate Justice Art Build! | |
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We invite you to join us for an #ArtBuild at UPROSE’s Climate Justice Center on Saturday, September 14, and Saturday, September 21, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The event will be held at 462 36th St, Brooklyn, NY. This gathering offers a unique opportunity to come together with community members to create art for the upcoming Climate Justice Lives Here Festival. Whether you're an experienced artist or simply passionate about climate justice, your participation is welcome and encouraged.
This is a chance to channel creativity into meaningful action, supporting a just and sustainable future for all. Please RSVP here: shorturl.at/jqBRD. We look forward to creating with you!
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UPROSE Staff and Interns working on the Art Build. Collage by Sylvia Riveros. | |
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Join us for HOW WE DO FREEDOM: Rising Against Fascism on Saturday, September 14, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM at Judson Memorial Church in New York City. This daylong event will feature an inspiring lineup of speakers, poets, artists, and activists who will share strategies, solidarity, and energy to fuel the movement against fascism. With notable voices such as Kimberle Crenshaw, Laura Flanders, Bill Fletcher, and Elizabeth Yeampierre from UPROSE, this gathering offers an opportunity to come together in solidarity, building the community that is essential in combating the alienation at the heart of fascism.
Tickets are $10, and more information can be found at onebillionrising.org/howwedofreedom. Don’t miss this vital day of education, inspiration, and collective action.
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EMERGENT CITY Screening
DATE/TIME: Monday September 23rd, 2024
LOCATION: UPROSE 462 36th St, Brooklyn, NY 11232
In the wake of deindustrialization and on the cusp of climate catastrophe, a Brooklyn community grapples with the future of New York City’s last working waterfront. Over a decade, Emergent City explores power and process in a working class neighborhood facing gentrification, development and the need for jobs that will allow people to stay in the place they call home. The film is a 360° observational portrait that leans into the complexity of issues often framed in black and white. Emergent City asks viewers to consider how change might emerge from dialogue and collective action in a world where too many outcomes are constrained by money, politics and business as usual.
A Film By
Director/ Producer Kelly Anderson
Director/ Editor Jay Arthur Sterrenberg
Executive Producer Carrie Lozano
Producer. Brenda Ávila-Hanna
Producer Stephen Maing
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Latiné Luminaries with Rhina Valentin and Elizabeth Yeampierre
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Now in its third year, "Latiné Luminaries" aims to celebrate the vibrant culture of our Urban Latiné community leaders through music, dance, and interactive conversations in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. ”La Reina Del Barrio” Rhina Valentin brings together talented artists and leaders to showcase artistic expressions and cultural contributions. This year’s installment highlights internationally recognized Puerto Rican attorney and environmental and climate justice leader Elizabeth Yeampierre. | |
2025 Latino Climate Justice Framework: 2nd Edition Panels
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Exploring the 2025 Latino Climate Justice Framework: 2nd Edition, its significance, and its alignment with on-the-ground initiatives led by our partners serving as panelists.
Event Speakers:
Yaheiry Mora, Earthjustice Action Political Director
Tekoah Abdul Kadara, Allensworth Progressive Association
Sebastian Baez, UPROSE Just Transition Coordinator
More TBA!
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UPROSE is an intergenerational, multi-racial, nationally-recognized, women of color-led, grassroots organization that promotes sustainability and resiliency through community organizing, education, leadership development and cultural/artistic expression in Brooklyn, New York. | |
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