Common has moved the motion to remind everyone that all life matters, including the lives of those who are incarcerated. Last week, the Chicago rapper launched a campaign called “#WeMatterToo” through his criminal justice reform organization, Imagine Justice, teaming up with a large number of activist and advocacy groups for the cause.
To strengthen his motive, Common shared a PSA that shows inmates complaining about the difficult conditions they had to endure behind bars during this pandemic period. The clip is in the likes of the one shared this week by the Reform Alliance, a criminal justice reform organization founded by Jay-Z, Meek Mill, and others.
Meanwhile, the goal of the “#WeMatterToo” campaign is to have those who have already served most of their sentence be released, as the figures released last month revealed that about 70 percent of federal prison inmates tested at that point already have the novel virus. The campaign is also putting extra interest in the inmates with existing medical issues since they can easily develop serious complications from the virus.
In the caption of the video that Common shared, he wrote. “Let this time show us that we are all interconnected. We have to be there for our vulnerable communities, including our people who are currently incarcerated. Our fates are tied together, so we must be courageous and act now.”
He added: “I’m proud to launch #WeMatterToo today alongside 70+ organizations who have dedicated their time and energy to supporting our brothers and sisters currently in prisons, jails and detention centers around the country during this scary and uncertain time. Every single life matters.”
In the PSA shared by Common, incarcerated people complained about not being given gloves, having to first fill out medical forms after revealing they are ill, and lastly, waiting a week before getting a response. One of the inmates further said that showers are only cleaned once a day or not at all in prison.
“When you have officers that are not trained to treat you like humans, automatically they put your health at risk,” another inmate said in the clip. “It makes me feel helpless.”
