Last week, Philadelphia artist Meek Mill was released from prison after being incarcerated for decade-old drug and guns convictions. During Meek Mill’s incarceration, a number of luminaries across a number of walks of lives spoke out in Meek’s defense. The #FreeMeek campaign included the likes of everyone from T.I. and Wale to New England Patriot’s owner Robert Kraft. Jay-Z even wrote an op-ed in defense of Meek titled, “The Criminal Justice System Stalks Black People Like Meek Mill”. Jay-Z described Meek’s situation concisely and accurately when he wrote, “On the surface, this may look like the story of yet another criminal rapper who didn’t smarten up and is back where he started. But consider this: Meek was around 19 when he was convicted on charges relating to drug and gun possession, and he served an eight-month sentence. Now he’s 30, so he has been on probation for basically his entire adult life. For about a decade, he’s been stalked by a system that considers the slightest infraction a justification for locking him back inside.”
Since Meek’s release, a number of celebrities have continued to speak out in celebration of Meek’s freedom and condemnation of the legal system that incarcerated him in the first place. Robert Kraft tweeted, “Justice for our friend. Finally free.” The Philadelphia 76ers invited the Philly celebrity to ring the bell at game five of the Philadelphia-Miami first-round NBA playoff series.
Robert Kraft and the Patriots are celebrating the release of Meek Mill: “Justice for our friend. Finally free.” pic.twitter.com/IO1JjhsoNY
— Liam Martin (@LiamWBZ) April 24, 2018
On a smaller scale, a group of poets at Temple University in Philadelphia used their platform to illustrate how Meek Mill is just one man who represents a much larger issue involving the unjust American legal system. Kenya Newsome, David Pratt and Jamal Parker of BABEL, a Philadelphia based arts collective, performed their piece, “Free Meek”, at the Temple Performing Arts Center last week and it was nothing short of amazing. Check out their performance below and be sure to check out more of their work right here.
