VIA PRESS RELEASE | And She Could Be Next, a voting rights companion album to the PBS docuseries And She Could Be Next, executive produced by Ava DuVernay and chronicling the story of a defiant movement of women of color including Stacey Abrams, Lucy McBath, Rashida Tlaib, AOC, Nikema Williams, and more who are transforming American politics from the ground up, will be released in October 2 via Lakeshore Records.
The album features dynamic, powerful, outspoken voices from the hip hop, pop, and R&B community including Aloe Blacc, Lila Downs, Sa-Roc, Sheila E, Arabian Prince (NWA), Madame Gandhi, Saul Williams, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Hyro the Hero, William Stanbro, Flor de Toloache, Ruby Ibarra, Judith Hill, Shawnee, Sussan Deyhim, Sarah Thawer, Vivek Maddala, Jahi Lake, Daniel French from Las Cafeteras, Sarah DeAun McCrary, Dee MC, and Nappy Nina.
“It is only when we understand the sheer weight of our collective power that we can begin to grasp the tremendous potential for change. Being a witness to the commitment of this generation’s artists, activists, and policymakers to radically transforming our global landscape has cemented my belief in the inevitability of a new and just future.”
—Sa-Roc
And She Could Be Next is produced by and features musician and composer Gingger Shankar (The Passion of the Christ, CNN’s We Will Rise: Michelle Obama’s Mission to Educate Girls Around the World, Akicita: The Battle of Standing Rock), who scored the two-part documentary series.
On the heels of the docuseries release in June and after speaking with Stacey Abrams’ camp about the urgency surrounding the upcoming primaries and Presidential election and their inability to canvas door to door due to the pandemic, Shankar began reaching out to musician friends to help create a companion album—with the docuseries score woven through—as a tool for voting organizations to lift spirits and amplify not only the message and reach of the docuseries but of the organizations as well.
Shankar says, “In the words of Nina Simone, ‘It is an artist’s duty to reflect the times.’ As artists, we are all feeling what’s happening in this country and the world right now on such a personal level. As people of color, we have all helped to create the fabric and culture of this country as a whole, yet we are living in a time where every one of us is treated as ‘other.’ How do we reconcile fighting for a country that is so clearly not just rejecting us, but going out of it’s way to harm our communities? We all come from different backgrounds, yet the resemblances are striking. The commonality we found in speaking to all these women artists was their strength and resilience. We gave each artist the same phrases before recording, and each came back with experiences and perspectives around it that blew us away.”
With that prompt, a series of songs began to emerge—an album of voices of women who are very familiar with being silenced, each with her own story of discrimination and how she fought back, each story converging into one singular message of strength that could be used as an anthem across the country for women of color to use their voices to make change.
Songs will be released over the next month leading up to the November U.S. presidential election. A portion of the proceeds will benefit organizations such as Fair Fight, Mijente, Seeding Sovereignty, When We All Vote, and more.
And She Could Be Next is directed by Peabody Award-winner Grace Lee (American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs) and Iranian documentary filmmaker Marjan Safinia (Seeds), with Emmy, BAFTA, with Peabody-winner Ava DuVernay as executive producer. It was filmed throughout 2018 and into 2019 and features a dynamic slate of history-makers including: Stacey Abrams (GA), Rashida Tlaib (MI), Lucy McBath (GA), Veronica Escobar (TX), Maria Elena Durazo (CA), and Bushra Amiwala (IL).
It also follows the incredible “hidden figures” of the movement-women of color organizers without whose work, nothing would be possible. The docuseries, which was an official selection of the We Are One: A Global Film Festival, is part of PBS’s summer “Trailblazers” initiative celebrating the centennial of the women’s vote and illuminating the stories of modern women who continue to make their voices heard to bring about change.
“We are excited to launch And She Could Be Next during this moment in American politics, where questions of civic engagement, voter suppression, and the future of our representative democracy are coming to a head,” said director/producer Grace Lee. “By bringing this documentary to people across the country, we hope to add to the conversation during this election year.”
“And She Could Be Next unapologetically centers race and gender in our political discourse,” said director/producer Marjan Safinia. “We can’t have an astute conversation about America without this critical lens. So many audiences who feel unseen by our system, will see their power reflected in this project. We cannot underestimate the power of being seen.”
This is the first miniseries to be co-produced by POV, the longest-running documentary series on American television, now in its 33rd season. And She Could Be Next is a co-production of POV and ITVS in association with the Center for Asian American Media and Latino Public Broadcasting, and a co-presentation of Black Public Media and the Center for Asian American Media.
