New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Rhiannon Giddens Partners with PA Innocence Project to Support Wrongfully Convicted Individuals and Their Families; Releases "Another Wasted Life" Video Inspired by Kalief Browder on Wrongful Conviction Day
Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens is collaborating with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project on a fundraising initiative and a powerful music video for her song "Another Wasted Life," released today, the tenth annual Wrongful Conviction Day. The "Another Wasted Life" video features twenty-two wrongfully convicted people, clients of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. It aims to raise awareness for the stories and voices of those who have experienced the injustices of the criminal legal system.
Giddens recently filmed the video in Philadelphia with the twenty-two formerly incarcerated people, who collectively spent more than 500 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. It features their names and the number of years that each spent wrongly incarcerated. The video was directed by Daniel Madoff.
Inspired by the tragic story of Kalief Browder, a young man wrongfully incarcerated at New York City's Rikers Island for three years, where he was subjected to nearly two years of solitary confinement, Giddens wrote "Another Wasted Life" as a reminder of the human toll exacted by wrongful convictions and the importance of prison reform. You can watch it here:
Says Giddens: "I wrote 'Another Wasted Life' after reading about the tragic suicide of Kalief Browder—another soul caught up in the incarceration system for a crime he didn't commit. He was put into solitary for almost two years, a torture no one deserves, no matter what they did or did not do. The whole for-profit prison industrial complex—n outgrowth of slavery—is a stain on the American story; the people and families caught up in it, and in the numerous gaping holes in the social safety net, need incredible amounts of support.
"If you know anything about my work, you know my music tends to have a mission—one that amplifies underrepresented voices and stories. My new album is a little bit different, and this track is stand-alone in its mission due to the weight of its place in our world.
"These ongoing societal struggles are so far beyond any one of us, and have been long at play; but, I will use my platform to take things just one step further in the conversation."
Giddens and the Pennsylvania Innocence Project have also launched a fundraising initiative to support the legal and reentry services provided by innocence organizations. Giddens has fundraised for local innocence organizations throughout her tour. She partnered with a wrongfully incarcerated artist named Spel to create limited-edition merchandise items, with all proceeds going to support each local organization. Spel's case was one of the first to be picked up by Pennsylvania Innocence Project at its inception in 2009 and is still open almost 15 years later. She has also invited innocence organizations across the country to set up information tables at shows, is highlighting their work on stage, and has dedicated all tips at the merchandise table to them.
"We are proud to have Rhiannon Giddens standing with us this Wrongful Convicted Day in support of innocence work. We are grateful for her efforts to lift up the voices of our clients - those who have been exonerated and those who are still fighting for freedom - and to raise support to keep our work going," says Meredith Rapkin, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project.
Go to https://www.anotherwastedlife.com to learn more about this collaboration and the merchandise with Spel's design. Visit https://PAinnocence.info to see more about the innocent people featured in the video and to donate.
"Another Wasted Life" is featured on Giddens' You're the One, released in August on Nonesuch Records. Giddens' first album of all original songs has recently been featured on Today, CBS Saturday, CBS Mornings, the New York Times, Vulture's "A Long Talk," NPR's Morning Edition, the Associated Press, GRAMMY.com and Garden & Gun, with additional coverage and reviews from Variety, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pitchfork, NPR Music, and much more. Giddens' touring continues into next year with headlining shows at the Beacon Theatre in New York City and the Ace Theater in Los Angeles. She was also recently awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for her collaborative opera, Omar, along with Michael Abels. Giddens is also a host on Arts Talk, a new PBS program on which she, Elvis Costello, and Brian Stokes Mitchell discuss their careers. She was also recently featured on Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business list. Giddens is also the Artistic Director of Silkroad, an organization and Ensemble, with a project dedicated to performing in prisons (Project MUSIC).
The Pennsylvania Innocence Project works to exonerate those convicted of crimes they did not commit, to prevent innocent people from being prosecuted and convicted, and to help those wrongfully convicted transition to freedom.
