Detroit Rappers Join Peoples Water Board Detroit to Raise Awareness of the Fight Against Water Shutoffs
May 2012
Detroit, MI
On June 1, Detroit Poet and MC Will See will release a new movement anthem "Water Power" in partnership with the Peoples Water Board Detroit.
The Peoples Water Board is a coalition of organizations advocates for access, protection, and conservation of water, and promotes awareness of the interconnectedness of all people and resources. The People's Water Board believes that water is a human right and asserts that all people should have access to clean and affordable water.
Thousands of Detroiters have faced home water shutoffs in recent years and the Peoples Water Board has been on the front lines to fight for individuals to realize water as a human right as well as community ownership of a clean and effective local water system. A portion of the proceeds from downloads of the song will go towards the Peoples Water Board. From the song's website, supporters will also be able to make donations to the Board.
The debut performance of "Water Power" will be at Food Justice Fridays at the Cass Corridor Commons/ UU Church (4605 Cass at Forest) on Friday June 1, 2012. The event is from 6-8pm. Tickets are $5-15 sliding scale.
People in the Detroit poetry scene may recognize Will See from his dynamic solo poetry and spoken word, or his performances with the Long Hairz Collective over the last 8 years. Will is going to be releasing new hip-hop music throughout 2012 and 2013. "I wanted to bring in the spirit of Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, and Black Star,” he says. “Good music that promotes Knowledge of Self and awareness of our social conditions, with strong beats and lyricism."
"That's deep! That's a movement piece.We need to raise this community's awareness around issues of food and water to promote a better quality of life. Asante sana on this profound issue in Detroit and all over the world." says Charity Hicks, of the Peoples Water Board Detroit and Detroit Food Justice Task Force.
An edited version of "Water Power" will be also released for use in classrooms. Will See says, "I've already been approached by teachers in place-based education, social justice education, and other educational settings. I don't want a curse word to be an obstacle for students to learn from the song."
The song also features Detroit MCs Avierre the Don and Shawn Donatella. Both are active in Detroit's creative scene and in community activism. Avierre the Don works tirelessly in the Youth Food Justice Task Force and the Young Educators Alliance. Shawn Donatella hosts his own weekly community radio program on SVDetroit Radio. These rappers bring to "Water Power" a creative flow and serious content about the importance of access to water and food to our communities.
The People's Water Board Members include: AFSCME Local 207, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Detroit Green Party, East Michigan Environmental Action Council, Food & Water Watch, Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit, Matrix Theater, Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute, Sierra Club, Voices for Earth Justice
After June 1, the song can be downloaded at:
www.willseemusic.bandcamp.com
Contact Will See for more info about "Water Power" willseemusic@gmail.com.
For media-- if you would like an advance listen to the song please contact Will.
Contact the track's producer, Rise Like Lions, at riselikelionsproductions@yahoo.com
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