Rhiannon Giddens was on the Democracy Now! Juneteenth special yesterday to talk with host Amy Goodman about her latest album, You're the One, and the track "Another Wasted Life," a song she wrote inspired by the tragic story of Kalief Browder, a young man wrongfully incarcerated at NYC's Rikers Island for three years, where he was subjected to nearly two years of solitary confinement. You can watch their conversation here:

Giddens collaborated with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project on a powerful music video for the song, which she released on the 10th annual Wrongful Conviction Day on October 2. The video, directed by Daniel Madoff, features 22 wrongfully convicted people, clients of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, who collectively spent more than 500 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. It aims to raise awareness for the stories and voices of those who have experienced the injustices of the criminal legal system. You can watch it here:

Also on Democracy Now!, Giddens talks with Goodman about her opera Omar, which she co-wrote with Michael Abels and for which they won the Pulitzer Prize in Music last year. Omar is based on the life and autobiography of enslaved Muslim scholar Omar Ibn Said, who was forcefully brought to Charleston, SC from Africa in 1807. You can watch that conversation here:

Included in the above is an excerpt from Giddens' own recording of "Julie’s Aria” from Omar, which she recorded with multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi and guitarist Bill Frisell. You can hear that in full here: