PHILADELPHIA– Care, Not Control, a coalition of young people and youth advocates working to end youth incarceration in Pennsylvania, released its debut album on Friday, November 11. Care, Not Control: The Album showcases the talents, hopes, and dreams of young people directly impacted by the criminal legal system. The album seeks to shift the narrative surrounding youth incarceration and promote investing in community-based alternatives.
The album features a mix of hip-hop, rap, and R&B music. The album’s first single release is Untold Story, written and performed by Care, Not Control’s Bre (Briannah) Stoves. Bre is a youth advocate at Juvenile Law Center and a youth organizer at The Village of Arts and Humanities. She started making music at the age of 12 and began writing Untold Story while incarcerated. Bre hopes the music sends a powerful message.
“I hope that young people, especially those impacted by the system, can find a sense of comfort in our songs,” said Bre. “I also hope that this album will help urge legislators to take action to end youth incarceration in Pennsylvania.”
Care, Not Control is celebrating the album launch with a series of events that include:
Bre teamed up with Dear White People actor Marque Richardson for an Instagram Live to promote the album, which is available now.
The coalition hosted a series of pop-up performances in Philadelphia on November 9.
Care, Not Control will host a to-be-announced event in December.
Two Care, Not Control youth organizers, Jahir and Will, came up with the album concept, inspired to connect with other young people and community members through music. The young artists featured on the album worked with acclaimed musicians and producers, including Jordan McCree, Dan “Dilemma” Thomas, Elle.Morris, Simon Martinez, HeemFuQuan, and Emyne.
Care, Not Control will also release an educational toolkit designed to accompany the album featuring photography by Mark Strandquist and Naomieh Jovin and graphic design by Robin Carnilius. The toolkit features a series of tarot-style cards with single titles and artwork on the front and questions on the back designed to delve into the album’s themes and promote difficult discussions about youth incarceration, violence, harm, power, and much more.
“Young people who have been incarcerated are used to having their voices silenced or ignored,” said Michaela Pommells, Care, Not Control Campaign Organizer. “This album centers their voices, providing them with a creative outlet to share their stories, experiences, and hopes for a better future that does not include youth incarceration. Together, we can create a system that gives youth, especially Black and brown youth, the resources and opportunity to thrive.”
Care, Not Control was established in the fall of 2020 after Governor Tom Wolf created the Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice Task Force, which studied the Commonwealth’s juvenile justice system for 16 months to create recommendations for reform. This series of events was prompted by a number of horrific scandals involving the abuse of children inside Pennsylvania juvenile facilities, including Glen Mills, Wordsworth, and Devereaux. Care, Not Control has created a vision for and action steps toward ending youth incarceration in Pennsylvania once and for all. The campaign has outlined a series of demands designed to end inhumane, ineffective, and racist practices in order to build a new world where every young person in Pennsylvania has a chance to thrive.
Care, Not Control: The Album is now available on streaming platforms. You can visit www.carenotcontrol.com/thealbum to learn more.
About Care, Not Control
Care, Not Control is a coalition led by the young people most impacted by the criminal legal system and youth advocates from Juvenile Law Center, The Village of Arts and Humanities, Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project (YASP), and Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project (YSRP). We are working to transform the criminal legal system to end youth incarceration in Pennsylvania. You can read our full set of demands here: www.carenotcontrol.com.
