For immediate release: December 6th, 2024
Contact: Nico MacDonald, nmacdonald@worthrises.org
NEW YORK, NY — Award-winning pianist, composer, vocalist, and multidisciplinary artist Samora Pinderhughes has released the new single “Am I Human?” to shed light on prison labor in the United States. The single features the talented Jamila Woods, Bobby Gonz, Keith LaMar (on death row), and Elliott Skinner and is a haunting yet powerful call to end slavery in U.S. prisons.
Developed by The Healing Project in partnership with Worth Rises to support the #EndTheException campaign, the single speaks to the glaring loophole in the 13th Amendment that allows incarcerated people to be forced into dangerous labor for pennies an hour – if anything at all. The campaign is supported by over 90 national organizations and advocates for the passage of the bipartisan federal Abolition Amendment, which would end this exception and slavery for all. “Am I human?” is expected to serve as an anthem for the campaign that calls on listeners to confront the realities of prison labor and to demand an end to this exception that still permits slavery. Proceeds from the song will go to support the campaign and advance efforts to abolish prison slavery.
“The majority of Americans do not know that the 13th Amendment — celebrated for ending slavery — includes a glaring exception that still allows slavery to be used as punishment for a crime. This exception is the basis for the exploitation of prison labor across the U.S., where people are forced to work in dangerous conditions for pennies an hour, if anything. It’s way overdue that we end this legal basis that has allowed the abhorrent institution of slavery to continue in our nation,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “We’re grateful to Samora Pinderhughes, Jamila Woods, and Bobby Gonz for lending their incredible talents to this important effort to help educate people and inspire action to end the exception.”
There are 800,000 incarcerated workers who are forced to labor in unsafe working conditions for pennies an hour, if anything at all. For these individuals, the dignity of fair work is denied, echoing the horrors of slavery that should have been abolished for all people long ago. Bobby Gonz and Keith LaMar, two of the artists on the single, are deeply familiar with this reality. As people who have experienced incarceration and labored under the 13th Amendment, their contributions emphasize the urgent need to confront a system that continues to deny incarcerated individuals their dignity and basic human rights.
Today’s release coincides with the anniversary of the ratification of the 13th Amendment and falls just a month after election day, when both California and Nevada voted on ballot initiatives to end similar exceptions in their state constitutions. While unsuccessful in California, the ballot was successful in Nevada, which now joins seven other states that have removed the exception from their state constitutions in recent years.
Now available on all major streaming platforms.
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Worth Rises is a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to dismantling the prison industry and ending the exploitation of those it targets. Worth Rises leads the #EndTheException campaign — supported by over 90 national organizations — to end the exception in the 13th Amendment that still allows slavery as criminal punishment. Follow @WorthRises on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Visit worthrises.org.
Samora Pinderhughes is a composer, pianist, vocalist, filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist known for examining sociopolitical issues and fighting for change through his art. Lauded as “one of the most affecting singer songwriters today, in any genre” by The New York Times and “a magical being” by Forbes, Pinderhughes is shaping new worlds through his art, his honesty, and his vulnerability.
The Healing Project is an arts organization that creates artistic works, collective healing spaces, and advocacy initiatives in partnership with individuals impacted by structural violence to build a world based around healing rather than punishment. Founded by artist Samora Pinderhughes, their vision of societal transformation is grounded in the sonic testimonials of over 100 intergenerational voices in 15 states around the country.