Die Jim Crow

MoMA PS1 champions how art and artists are at the intersection of the social, cultural, and political issues of their time. Founded in 1976 by Alanna Heiss, the institution was a defining force in the alternative space movement in New York City, transforming a nineteenth century public schoolhouse in Long Island City into a site for artistic experimentation and creativity.

MoMA PS1

An evening of musical performances and discussions about the difficulties and joys of making music while in prison

Join the team behind Die Jim Crow Records for an evening of musical performances from BL Shirelle and Naomi Blount Wilson, a virtual performance from currently incarcerated Americana band Territorial, and discussions about the difficulties and joys of making music while in prison.Die Jim Crow is the first record label in the United States dedicated to releasing the music of formerly and currently incarcerated musicians. In 2013, inspired by Michelle Alexander’s landmark book The New Jim Crow and Pink Floyd’s rock opera The Wall, artist and activist Fury Young embarked on a journey to make a double album about racial injustice in the US prison system. Though Young had never been incarcerated and did not have experience in music production, his personal relationships with friends who had spent time in prison led him to pioneer the project with ceaseless conviction. In 2015, Fury and co-producer/engineer dr. Israel recorded in Ohio’s Warren Correctional Institution, and it was from these sessions that the first album, the DIE JIM CROW EP, was born. Between 2017 and 2018, Fury gained access to three additional prison systems in Colorado, South Carolina, and Mississippi, and after completing these recordings it became clear that Die Jim Crow was transforming from a single concept album into a full-fledged record label. In 2020 Die Jim Crow Records officially launched as the nation’s first non-profit record label for formerly and currently incarcerated musicians, with Young as Executive Director and label artist BL Shirelle as Deputy Director. While Shirelle’s debut LP, Assata Troi, was released to critical acclaim and media attention in June 2020, the team also helped send over 30K masks to prisons across the country with their PPE Into Prisons campaign between April and October. With four projects in the works for 2021, and a monthly concert series showcasing justice-involved musicians alongside iconic performers, Die Jim Crow Records is both a music platform and catalyst for social change.This program is presented in conjunction with Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration.

Die Jim Crow

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Die Jim Crow

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