“Track Change follows a group of men in Richmond City Jail as they record an album that chronicles their efforts to break free from a cycle of addiction and incarceration. Launching April 17, the music-infused five-part series takes listeners behind the walls of the Virginia jail, as rapper and musician Todd ‘Speech’ Thomas collaborates with the currently and formerly incarcerated to help them tell their stories through song.
I hope that … Track Change will disarm a lot of the stereotypes about people who are incarcerated.
“In each episode, Speech, the founder of the Grammy-winning hip-hop collective Arrested Development and widely regarded as the ‘Godfather of Conscious Hip-Hop,’ meets both novice and experienced musicians at personal crossroads in their respective uphill battles for freedom. Through frank and vulnerable conversations, he learns what brought them to this inflection point and helps them complete a song that captures this critical moment in their life. From haunting country to fiery hip-hop and soulful R&B, each episode demonstrates the potential of music to break through generations of entrenched inequities — and to affirm the humanity of the people that society has written off.
“‘I hope that by centering the talents and perspectives of these men, Track Change will disarm a lot of the stereotypes about people who are incarcerated,’ says host Speech. ‘I hope the show can also help audiences recognize that there’s more that we can do for the millions of people who are released from jails and prisons every year.’
“Track Change is distributed by the NPR Network, and is a joint production of Narratively and VPM.”
In our 10th anniversary year, JustLeadershipUSA’s work of educating, elevating, and empowering justice-impacted leaders continues and is growing even stronger!
We are preparing for our very special 10th anniversary gala in New York City on October 21st, and we would love for you to be there with us.
This is going to be a very special time to look back on the past decade of JLUSA’s important work, the 1,600+ leaders we have helped get to the next level in their work, and even more importantly, we will look ahead to the next 10 years and beyond!
We can’t do this without you. We need your support to help us continue to do this work now and into the future. By purchasing a $50 streaming ticket, you are saying to the amazing leaders in our network who represent the 70+ million Americans who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, “I see you, and I support you!”
Please plan now to join us in person or give a one-time $100 gift or set up a recurring $10 monthly donation to celebrate JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, and together we will build a fair and just U.S. Thank you!
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