Intrigue

Ain't Your Mama's Heat Wave is a stand-up comedy special from the frontlines of the climate crisis, told through the lens of four young Black comedians. Filmed in the St. Paul's district of Norfolk, Virginia--a Black public housing community at risk from a toxic mix of flooding and a legacy of racist urban policies--this is no ordinary comedy show. The city of Norfolk is below sea level, sinking, and grappling with the climate crisis and racial injustice. Yet, within that, comedians bring jokes-and a new way to engage communities in coming together. Hailing from Virginia Beach, Atlanta, Chicago, and Ohio, Kristin Sivills, Clark Jones, Mamoudou N'Diaye, Aminah Imani perform for the people of St. Paul's community, at risk for a Hurricane Katrina-like disaster and displacement. But, in the Black American tradition of struggle, resilience, and triumph in the face of existential threat, the joy of comedy, music, and art informs and empowers. We laugh so we don't cry. We can come together because we can laugh together. A special appearance from Grammy-nominated singer, actress, and activist Antonique Smith sets the stage with the ways in which the climate crisis disproportionately impacts Black people, making it plain that climate justice is racial justice. The performances are both entertainment and a revolutionary act. As Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. shares in the show, Ain't Your Mama's Heat Wave takes place at The Attucks Theater in St. Paul's, "the Apollo of the South" and a prominent stop on the Chitlin' Circuit for Black comedians and artists of the 1940s through the 1960s.

More than a comedy feature, Ain't Your Mama's Heat Wave is also an organizing and impact project. The project has brought together community, HBCU students, organizations, faith leaders, culture-makers, and creatives, and local government to engage in new ways on the climate crisis in their front yards.

Ain't Your Mama's Heat Wave is a production of Hip Hop Caucus' Think 100% FILMS; in partnership with the Center for Media & Social Impact's Comedy ThinkTanks and The Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund; and, with support from David and Linda Cornfield.