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Articles by Antonique Smith

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Singer and actress Antonique Smith performs the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" during the March to Break Free from Fossil Fuels on May 14, 2016 in Los Angeles.

Wednesday marks the beginning of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, and the stakes are higher than ever. Fossil fuel emissions and spills threaten our air and water. Pollution is contributing to rising rates of asthma. We’re experiencing stronger storms and flooding, record heat and drought, and massive wildfires. People are dying, and communities of color, indigenous peoples, and poor communities — what I call “the sacrifice zones” — suffer disproportionately.

These are just the immediate challenges we face. When we consider the long-term effects of climate change, science says our existence on this planet is in jeopardy: Earth will keep spinning, we just won’t be on it. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a viable option to me.

But neither fear nor the on-the-ground reality of a warming Earth has motivated people to truly transformational action. That’s why I sing.

I am an “artivist.” I use my art to effect change. I am an actor and singer, and I use my voice to sing about the issues we’re facing and the solutions to them. I sing to open people’s hearts to the truth and inspire them to action. But I’m not the first to do thi... Read more