“I WISH I KNEW MY RIGHTS”

Written by: Harmony the Goddess

Have you ever been in a situation with the law and wish you knew your rights at the time? Maybe you felt injustice took placed? Have you ever had questions and you wanted to ask people that are experts, activists, and leaders? If your answer was yes to any of the above, let me tell you right now that you are not the only one. That is why REVIVE Radio presented Rhythm & Reasonings Volume 2:2 entitled “I Wish I Knew My Rights”. This event took place on June 14, 2018, at Philly’s very own Urban Art Gallery hosted by yours truly, P.O.C. – host of REVIVE Radio. The theme for this panel discussion is surrounding the title “I Wish I Knew My Rights”. We want to draw attention to the fact that there are things in this country that still need to change, and there are things that people simply just don’t know when it comes to their rights. By having “Rhythm & Reasonings”, in our own community this conversation will help change the narrative and help to push towards solutions. We all know the problems and us here at REVIVE Radio are ready to start talking solutions.

A free event that was created to provide a platform to discuss, share, and act on human rights and democratization. It was a panel discussion with some great panelist who expounded on this issue! Throughout the event not only did the panel have a discussion but the audience were engaged with each other making it a place where people’s perspectives on the different issues were amplified. One out of many questions asked was about the incarceration rate. Let’s just sit on the fact that in 2016, there were 1,608 black prisoners for every 100,000 black adults which are more than five times the imprisonment rate for whites (274 per 100,000) and nearly double the rate for Hispanics (856 per 100,000). This is a problem and one of the many issues that we discussed.

The panelist included Asa Khalif, an activist and organizer for Black Lives Matter, Davida Garner who is the founder of Erase the Rate, John A. Pace who is an Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program Associate and JWOP Reentry Coordinator with Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project (YSRP), Shania Bennett who is a scholar, activist, musician, and athlete, she is also the newly elected committee person for the 48th Ward 12th Division and Ward Secretary. Last but not least on the panel was Martin Boyd Jr., a motivational speaker and youth advocate who raised above falling victim to the system.

Being in an art gallery it’s only right to have an amazing artist to showcase their work and help the conversation flow. Showcasing their art at Rhythm & Reasonings Volume 2:2 was Mike D. and. Their pieces kept the vibes high and the conversation flowing. If you haven’t done so already make sure you check them out.

Overall this event was a success! Having such a diverse panel one tEach month their will a different event that works with social consciousness and community empowerment. So stay tuned for the next one in July!