Juanes and John Legend draw attention to detention, incarceration
Colombian superstar Juanes and John Legend performed outside of the Eloy Detention Center this week, the first stop in Legend’s #FREEAMERICA tour focused on…
Colombian superstar Juanes and John Legend performed outside of the Eloy Detention Center this week, the first stop in Legend’s #FREEAMERICA tour focused on mass incarceration. According to Buzzfeed, the musicians toured the facility, then later performed for those gathered outside: advocacy groups and family members of those detained at the privately-administered detention center.
Legend created #FREEAMERICA as a talking tour to focus on "the issues of mass incarceration and the school-to-prison pipeline, coupled with nationwide protests over the deaths of unarmed young men and women of color, provide an unprecedented opportunity for all of us to get involved in criminal justice reform efforts." According to the website, the multi-year culture campaign seeks "to change the national conversation about our country’s misguided policies and transform America’s criminal justice system.
The concert in front of the detention center was inspired by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network’s “Chant Down The Walls” performances outside immigrant detention centers. Here, Chilean singer Ana Tijoux participates in an NDLON performance:
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