It has been 20 years since I began performing in New York State correctional facilities with my brothers and cousins in 1989. We were teenagers - without any political agenda - just hyped for the chance to share our budding talents with folks who reminded us of our uncles and fathers during the holidays. 10 years later, my family and I were racially profiled and wrongfully incarcerated in New York City. I wrote "Walking While Black: The Bill of Rights for Black America" as a journal entry initially, and never expected our story to reach over 20 million on "60 Minutes." Over the past decade, members of my arts collective and I have reached thousands of brothers and sisters behind bars with the workshops and performances in prisons spanning 25 states.
Of all these experiences, the letters written to me by Nanon Williams from Death Row reveal the most disturbing examples of violence and discrimination young folks face in America today.
Unjustly imprisoned at 17 years old - for a murder even Amnesty International maintains he did not commit - Nanon's death sentence as a minor highlights how the "War on Drugs" has been used to wage war on working and poor folks, and continues the legacy of inhumane violence and exploitation that damages millions of lives and devastates countless communities of color. Although Nanon admitted as a teenager that he participated in a drug deal gone bad, the Houston Police Department has come under investigation since evidence of fabrications in his case and others has been revealed. The substantial holes in the case against Nanon have been made increasingly evident to the public in exposés published by the Houston press.
After being wrongfully incarcerated for nearly two decades, Nanon will finally receive a de novo hearing -- unhindered by the tainted findings of his previous trial -- during his upcoming hearing in Houston, Texas. Please enter your contact info and any suggestions/resources you have to offer in support of Nanon's campaign under the "Reviews/Interviews/Feedback" section of this site. Check in on the regular at our "Upcoming Events" calendar for updates on his case and future tour dates
What can you do?
Friends of Nanon Williams and Blackout Arts Collective ask for your support in helping to raise awareness about his case and mobilize anyone who can attend to pack the courtroom during his upcoming hearing in Houston, Texas. Please enter your contact info and any suggestions/resources you have to offer in support of Nanon's campaign under the "Reviews/Interviews/Feedback" section of this site. Check in on the regular at our "Upcoming Events" calendar for updates on his case and future tour dates.
With your support, these seven days will start off the new year with a renewed commitment to dialogue and action aimed at ending the mass incarceration crisis. If you can host a potluck or panel discussion, produce an open mic or arts showcase, organize a town hall meeting or teach-in around the urgency of Nanon's case and its broader significance, we would like your event up on the site!
In support of his release, letters and poetry written by Nanon Williams are interwoven throughout Lyrics from Lockdown to create a hip hop theater/spoken word poetry concert experience. Official selection of the 2009 NYC Hip Hop Theater Festival, this dynamic, multi-media production weaves together 40 voices to speak out against the systemic injustice so many of us have experienced in the hands of police and prisons in America. We are strategizing in hopes of presenting a FREE performance of the show in Houston, Texas during FREE NANON WILLIAMS WEEK! We need your help...
Our spirit is strong, but our material resources are relatively limited. If you can help with artist or venue contacts, media or promotional support, travel or accommodations, funds for additional organizing or production expenses, please let us know by leaving your information and a brief description of how you can assist on our "Feedback" blog section and email this message to any e-lists you are on.
Given the critical nature of this hearing, and the prospect of helping our brother Nanon come home, I am encouraging everyone who can to donate something -- anything -- to the effort. During this recession, our time and talents can be even more valuable than our money. Help us spread the word and bring this case to light in the days before his hearing so community support is undeniable.
Please pass this message on to your folks with a personal request for them to do the same. The direct link to this site is: WWW.LYRICSFROMLOCKDOWN.COM
We need your passion, intellect and ideas to make this happen. Let us know how we can work together to turn this community effort into a national movement!
Peace & Power,
Bryonn Bain
Founder, Blackout Arts Collective
Writer/Performer, Lyrics from Lockdown
