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Brentin Mock

Brentin Mock is lead reporter for Voting Rights Watch, a partnership between Colorlines.com and The Nation magazine. Over the past year, he covered the voter-ID law controversy, felony disenfranchisement, voter intimidation and challenges to the Voting Rights Act.

Recent Articles

Green or Die

TAP Online talks with the Rev. Lennox Yearwood about the cost of environmental degradation on communities of color, how to change the consumerist culture of hip-hop, and what Obama owes the hip-hop generation.

Brentin MockNov 26, 2008
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., addresses survivors of Hurricane Katrina and their supporters as they demonstrate outside the White House, Tuesday, March 14, 2006, in Washington. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)

The Rev. Lennox Yearwood, executive director of the Hip Hop Caucus, recently wrapped up the "Respect My Vote" campaign to get the "hip-hop vote" out for Election Day. Yearwood -- who in 2004 coined the slogan "Vote or Die" -- claims that the hip-hop vote, more than any other constituency, was responsible for getting Obama into office and that therefore, Obama has a mandate from hip-hop. Looking forward, Yearwood says his new challenge will be mobilizing the hip-hop generation for environmental-justice issues.

The hip-hop generation has suffered disproportionately from poor environmental stewardship. What does the greater environmental movement owe to the hip-hop generation? What is their mandate from hip hop?

Races to Watch: Alabama 3

Josh Segall, a 29-year-old lawyer and former campaign worker for Paul Wellstone and Russ Feingold, is enjoying improbable success.

Brentin MockOct 30, 2008

Previous Races to Watch:
Pennsylvania 11
Ohio 15
Minnesota 3
Senate and Gubernatorial Races

Palin's Polar Bear Problem

Sarah Palin's denial of global warming isn't the only scientific idea she has dismissed -- she has also rejected protection of endangered polar bears.

Brentin MockOct 27, 2008

Scientists and comedians alike have derided vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin over her denial of human responsibility for global warming. Palin has repeated in interviews and debates that the "the world's weather patterns are cyclical" and that "over history there have been cooling and warming trends" that explain climate change. She also claims that polar bear populations are stable, not endangered as scientists report.

Examining Palin's Record on Violence Against Women

Sarah Palin's advocacy for women who are victims of sexual assault and domestic violence leaves a lot to be desired.

Brentin MockSep 18, 2008

Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska says that she's a champion for women, professing that, as the Republican vice-presidential nominee, she is the breakthrough that authenticates the 18 million cracks in the proverbial glass ceiling opened by Sen. Hillary Clinton. But before Palin can claim any authenticity as a fighter for gender issues, she needs to address some important questions: With Alaska having the highest rates of rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence in the U.S., according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, what did Palin do as a mayor, and as governor, to remedy these problems? And what would she do as vice president to address gender-based violence as a national issue?

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