20 Years To Life… And Innocent

As we have highlighted in past posts, the prison system in America is huge, incredibly flawed and extremely industrialized. However, there is a note we haven’t touched on yet: what about people who have been imprisoned for crimes they have not committed?

Take, for instance, the case highlighted above: Herman Adkins was sentenced to 42 years in prison, and served 12 before he was proven innocent by retrial. Allow me to reiterate this: He spent 12 years behind bars, away from his family, friends and loved ones for NO REASON other than witness misidentification.

What can we do to stop this? The people at the Innocence Project, as well as other organizations in the Innocence Network, dedicate their lives and resources to ensuring a fair trial for all, by bringing new technologies such as DNA testing to older cases. The work that these organizations are doing is unparalleled and extremely necessary in modern America. We must do our best work to ensure that no voice – no matter how frail – is unnecessarily silenced.

Posted by:

Steve Romain

Time to Get Smart about Our Kids’ Education

We ran into LeToya Luckett at Hip Hop 101 in Los Angeles this weekend and she was kind enough to share her thoughts with us about the chance we have now to remake America’s future.

It takes huge vision to see the opportunity in our current financial woes, but our president has it.

We forge ahead into the future and face two choices: conquer, or concede. For President Obama, the future of our nation lies in the education of our children.

Here’s a quote from his speech:

“It is…It is our responsibility as lawmakers and as educators to make this system work, but it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it.

So tonight I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be a community college or a four-year school, vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma.

And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself; it’s quitting on your country. And this country needs and values the talents of every American.”

Inspiring.

Posted by:

Sam Patton

Our Resolve to Change

We’re in the middle of a new wave of civil rights activism. Prop 8 may have passed by a slim margin last November, but it did something that our country didn’t expect…it brought HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people – straight and gay alike – out into the streets, and it brought us together in our resolve to change things.

On March 5, the California Supreme Court will begin hearing a case about overturning Prop 8. Join us in San Francisco and LA that morning to show the judges the strong, popular support for equal rights. You can find more info at http://bamn.com.

Then join us from March 25-30 to march from San Francisco to Sacramento. We’ll call for the repeal of Prop 8, and we’ll meet with communities along the way to hear about their local struggles for social and economic justice. You can find out more about us at http://onestruggleonefight.com.

-Kip Williams

Posted by:

Sam Patton

Equal Rights Across this Great Nation of Ours

30 years after his life was cut short, Harvey Milk continues to inspire new generations of people around the world to follow his vision of love and support for all people.

The triumphant success of Milk at the Oscars ceremony last night is not the end of our journey, but it is a sincere tribute to the man who lived, and lost, his life in a constant pursuit of equality, respect, and appreciation for his community.

Whether personal or societial, change is not easy. The great contribution of this biopic – and the talent of Dustin Black, Milk’s screenwriter – is to encourage some people, some where in the world, to question their prejudices. To question the bigotry of their families, or friends. And to see that, on the road to healing, on the road to a greater society, we all have many companions, past and present. We do not walk alone.

Today’s Artist: Rufus Wainwright

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyUjk20fAHM&start=22

Rufus Wainwright is a gay, outspoken artist who writes fantastic songs that battle the status quo. This song, Gay Messiah, uses a sense of irony and humor to challenge bigoted perceptions. Like Dustin Black, Wainwright inspires his fans to question and challenge dated prejudices and to join him in vocally demanding equal rights.

Posted by:

Sam Patton

Men: Speak Out Against Domestic Violence!!!

So the Internet is blazing with stories about Rihanna’s alleged post abuse pic.

The truth is that the pop princess is just one of millions of American women who suffer at the hands of abusive men.  We don’t talk about it nearly enough, but we all know a friend, family member or loved one that has been abused, sometimes even murdered.  Sadly, the issue only becomes headline news when some one famous gets beaten up.

While domestic abuse is a complex problem, the truth is that it will never stop until men hold other men accountable to living less violent lives.  Far too often guys don’t proactively confront their male friends about their ignorant behavior, even if they believe that violence against women is wrong.  Fellas, it might be a hard pill to swallow, but we simply don’t speak out enough against the issue!!

Today’s action video is from the multi-talented IllDoctrine, who interviews legendary hip-hop journalist and former LYVEF board member Elizabeth Mendez Berry about her classic  Vibe article “Love Hurts.” As a hip-hop insider and woman of color, Mendez Berry knew that should would be outcasted by many men in the music world for “airing the dirty laundry” of abusive rappers like Big Pun, but that didn’t stop her from telling the truth.

We all gotta take action like Mendez Berry and speak out against domestic violence, but the truth is that guys need to speak out just a little louder.  Men, we can’t keep quiet anymore…domestic abuse is wrong, even when it’s someone famous.

Today’s Artist: Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmfasWzdyHs

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are a band from Jacksonville, FL with a funny name and great message. This song, Face Down, highlights the overwhelming problems of domestic violence, symbolically highlighting the broken home that is created by it.

Posted by:

Biko Baker

What Up Kid? I Heard It’s Rough Doing Your Bid!

You got people in jail?  I do.  Ever since I can remember my friends, family and neighbors have been spending time locked up. I am not alone.  Today, there are nearly 7 million Americans behind bars.

And while bad people definitely need to be in prison, the truth is that for the last 30 years young people and people of color have suffered disproportionately in the American judicial system.  People don’t like to talk about it, but the War on Drugs and the over policing of inner city communities has created a generation of incarcerated scar-faces.

One of the sad realities of prison life is that you are disconnected from your people.  And it doesn’t matter how many letters you write or how many times you visit, the distance is most times unbearable.  That’s why AppalShop, a media justice organization in Whitesburg Ky, came up with a project called Thousand Kites. Every week this unique radio program brings the voices of prisoners’ families to the airwaves and gives them an opportunity to communicate to their loved ones via FM radio waves.

Check out today’s action video, I bet you’ll be inspired to do something for your people behind bars.

Got a story to tell? Drop it on our wall to the right, or email us at 99problems.org@gmail.com

Today’s Artist: Johnny Cash

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zgja26eNeY

We’re bringing ya back a few decades on this one. Johnny Cash was a revolutionary, rebellious figure who famously empathized with the imprisoned population when it was considered extremely taboo to do so. Prison destroys men and women, and in this song, San Quentin, Cash defines the disdain that men have for that famous prison.

Posted by:

Biko Baker

Power Shift 2009

We’re getting psyched about this.

In 2007, the Energy Action Coalition put together the original Power Shift. Thousands of kids from around the country descended on Washington for 3 days in November, and the energy they brought to the green jobs movement was 100% renewable.

In 2009, we’re going back to D.C. for Power Shift 09. Our government made us a promise, and we’re gonna make sure it’s kept. Power Shift is going down February 27th through March 2nd. 99problems.org is going to be all over the scene, bringing you exclusive video, blogs, and photos of America’s brightest activists and artists.

Looking to learn a bit more about Powershift?
We got the info for you!
Got a Facebook? BAM!
How ’bout a Myspace? POW!
Thinking about attending AND JOINING THE 99PROBLEMS TEAM AT THE CONFERENCE IN DC? KACHOW!

Today’s Artist: Guster

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuYfM5rdgKM

Adam Gardner from Guster is a huge green energy advocate. Today’s Artist post isn’t a music one, but instead, it’s an artist giving testimony about his actions in the environmental awareness community. Fun fact: Adam Gardner and Guster will be speaking at the Keynote at Powershift!

Posted by:

Sam Patton

Be a Role Model

In millions of households nationwide, many young men and women grow up without a solid sense of guidance in their lives.

Many professional psychologists decry the number of kids who are babysat by the television but it seems that more often than not, there is no other option. In a 2000 survey, it was estimated that 13.8 million children live in single-parent households and most of those parents have a full time job. These kids are highly at risk for falling through the cracks of our system.

However, there is hope. Big Brothers, Big Sisters is a national program that matches up kids in search of a mentor with volunteers. As we become the older generation, it is our responsibility to act as mentors to these minds. Mentoring has been recognized as a mutually beneficial activity: many older mentors describe their experience as enlightening and emphatically state that they learn incredible lessons from the kids they work with.

The Wu Tang Clan is not just one of the illest hip hop groups that’s ever existed. Since they bust on the scene in the early 90s, Wu Tang has been relentless critics of the system that keeps so many people down.

Posted by:

Steve Romain