Today we sat down with Lauren, a social justice warrior and passionate activist who founded Give a Beat. A jaw-dropping 45% percent of Americans have had an immediate family member who has been in the correction system (sagepub). That’s almost HALF the population. The stigma surrounding people who have been through the system not only impacts those who have been incarcerated but their friends and family members. The system is broken, with high numbers of juveniles being sentenced to life in prison at ages as young as 15. Through this inspiring talk we learn how art can rehabilitate and heal even in the darkest hours. Lauren is a perfect example that we can all be the change that we want to see. It starts with us, babeses!
About Lauren Segal:
Lauren is the co-founder of Give a Beat. A passionate activist, Lauren spent 10 years addressing the AIDS orphan epidemic in Africa with her first nonprofit, before switching her focus to the enormous domestic injustice of incarceration. A longtime member of the dance music community, Lauren launched Give a Beat in 2014 and has since engaged DJs, music technology companies, festivals, and event promoters in the fight against mass incarceration. In addition to Give a Beat, (can leave this in our take out: Lauren also owns and operates a souvenir shop and custom printing business in Laguna Beach, which her family established 40 years ago. The store is tagged “the t-shirt shop with a conscience” through it’s social good initiatives and the supporting non-profits as well as local artists and craftspeople.
About Give A Beat
Give a Beat’s mission is to reduce the harmful effects of incarceration through music production, DJing and other education programs that transform individuals and inspire communities to take action. Through music education and mentoring programs in juvenile halls, schools, our Prison Electronic Music Program, and in our new reentry program, we engage the music industry to help widen the pathways for people to thrive, tackle systemic racism, and contribute to the transformation of the US criminal justice system. To learn more, please visit https://www.giveabeat.org.
REFERENCES
- Give A Beat
- Prose of a Con: Laws of Correspondence, by Russell Wardlow (poem read at the end of the podcast)
- 45% of Americans statistic
- The Justice Arts Coalition
- Trench Art
- Equal Justice Initiative
To connect with Bombshell Brunches: click HERE
To connect with Kristina Lao: click HERE
To connect with Raquelle Roodenburg: click HERE
To connect with GiveABeat: click HERE
