[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 182 (Friday, October 23, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN RECOGNITION OF AY YOUNG AND THE BATTERY TOUR

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                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 23, 2020

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize AY Young, an 
entertainer, singer-songwriter, dancer, producer, entrepreneur, and 
leader in the fight for a more sustainable world. On September 18th, 
the Office of the Secretary General of the United Nations announced 
that Mr. Young had been named one of the U.N.'s seventeen Youth World 
Leaders, a position he will hold for a two-year term. Standing out as 
the only American on that list, Mr. Young was then placed on Energy 
News Network's annual ``40 Under 40'' list, which recognizes young 
leaders paving the way for a clean energy economy. While these honors 
have shined an international spotlight on Mr. Young, his musical 
talents are rooted on street corners in the heart of America.
  Mr. Young grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. A home-schooled Eagle 
Scout, he began writing poetry at the young age of fourteen, drawing 
attention to topics far beyond his years. In fact, his earliest 
compositions brought focus to the ``Troost Divide,'' a deep and 
painfully visible scar left by decades of redlining and a lasting 
symbol of the residential segregation and economic disparities that 
persist in Kansas City to this very day. Mr. Young and his trademark 
fedora soon became fixtures of Kansas City street corners from the 
River Market to the Plaza. His shows have always been interactive and 
engaging, looking more like spontaneous parties than standard routines. 
In 2012, Mr. Young appeared on The X Factor, receiving a ``Yes'' vote 
from all four judges. However, despite this noteworthy accomplishment, 
Mr. Young was still unable to find a manager or record label willing to 
carry his career to the next rung on the conventional ladder to 
stardom. Unfazed, he went back to the street corners, this time not 
just in Kansas City but across the country, garnering a grassroots 
following while opening for the likes of Wiz Khalifa, SHAGGY, T-Pain, 
Flo-Rida, Aaron Carter, and Wyclef Jean. But Mr. Young wasn't just 
busking his way across America to earn his keep; this too was simply an 
opening act. After learning that over a billion people on Earth lack 
access to electricity, Mr. Young decided to turn his tour into the 
start of a much deeper, much more difficult, journey. Mr. Young's tour, 
it turned out, would be powered entirely by renewal energy.
  Thus was born the Battery Tour, a global movement developed by Mr. 
Young and his enterprising business partner Thor Dietrich. Showcasing 
musical artists alongside innovative new technologies designed to 
address global crises, the Battery Tour takes the forces of a musical 
experience, sustainability education, and a humanitarian mission and 
unites them into a whole that is more powerful than any of its parts. 
Mr. Young has hosted and performed more than 800 shows around the 
world--each a unique fusion of original solos, interactive covers, and 
personal requests--powered only by renewable energy. His performances 
are pure collaboration--collaboration between artists, collaboration 
between music and technology, collaboration between Mr. Young and his 
audiences. If you have a request or want a turn at the mic, he will 
make it happen. Mr. Young calls his fans ``outlets'' because they 
provide the power that drives both his shows and the causes he 
champions. They see a world and a way of life in need of drastic 
change. ``Outlets'' across the globe have faith, I have faith, the U.N. 
has faith, that Mr. Young can help make it happen.
  The Battery Tour is a bold, innovative, and powerful idea, aimed at 
leveraging creative passion in pursuit of a societal goal, while 
leveraging a societal goal in pursuit of creative development. If the 
Battery Tour expands its reach and proves successful in raising 
awareness the world over, significant innovations will be seen in the 
realms of sustainable energy, music, and live performance. And they're 
just getting started. Young and Dietrich's newest addition to the 
Battery Tour global brand is the creation of an app that promotes and 
incentivizes small acts of sustainable altruism among their many 
``outlets.'' They hope the Tour will one day feature a large variety of 
artists who can each be fully compensated for their work as they 
promote sustainability on the world stage.
  Madam Speaker, please join me, a proud Fifth District, and 
``outlets'' around the world in congratulating Mr. Young on these well-
deserved honors and wishing him luck as he goes forth as an ambassador 
for our country, the 193 members of the United Nations, and a better, 
cleaner, more equitable future for all of humanity. Let each of us 
aspire to his example and seek to set our talents upon such a noble and 
pressing goal. Our unsustainable life is contributing to worldwide 
inequality and condemning future generations to build their lives in a 
world on fire. So, to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, l say 
this: if we truly want to honor Mr. Young and his leadership, it's time 
to plug in.

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