Rock for Human Rights comes to BCCC | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Press Release:

Human rights to be focus of upcoming concert at BCCC

    Editor's Note: For more information about the concert, contact Foundation Director Judy Jennette at 252-940-6326. To arrange an interview with Seabrook, contact him at wil@rockforhumanrights.org or by telephone at 818-749-1402. A video of Seabrook can be found at rockforhumanrights.org.

    A focus on human rights will bring together musicians from around the world to perform in a free concert at Beaufort County Community College at noon on Thursday, Sept. 18, outside the lower level of Building 5.

    The concert, Rock for Human Rights, is sponsored by the BCCC Foundation and the BCCC Student Government Association.

    It will feature music by Morganton, N.C. native Wil Seabrook and Alexio Kawara, a native of Harare, Zimbabwe, part of a national tour to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

    Seabrook, who currently lives in Los Angeles, released his self-titled debut album in August 200. The first single from that album, "You Do what You Have To," was named Record of the Week by BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom. He later signed with Maverick/Warner Brothers Records. He has toured throughout the world promoting his records.

    In 2009, he was commissioned to write a song for The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation titled, "Tomorrow Will Come." All proceeds from the sale of this record go to the Foundation.

    Seabrook said he became interested in human rights after being asked by a friend to write a song to accompany a human rights campaign on the Internet.

    "I really fell in love with that message," he said. "I looked for a simple way to share information about human rights."

    In 2011, Seabrook founded Rock for Human Rights and tapped Kawara, known as the Justin Timberlake of Zimbabwe, to join him with the intent to bring human rights awareness to diverse audiences using the power of music, visual media and social networking.

    After attending local schools in Zimbabwe, Kawara began a career in music. He and his friends formed a group, "?uess," or Guess. He released a recording of his song, "Amai," in 2000 and in 2003 released his debut album, "Usazondisiya," or "Don't Leave Me."

    The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1948, was the result of the experience of World War II. With the end of that war and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed never to allow atrocities like those of that conflict happen again.

    World leaders decided to complement the U.N. Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere. The document they considered, and which would later become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was taken up at the first session of the General Assembly in 1946.

    The committee charged with drafting the declaration was chaired by former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

    The declaration guarantees "30 basic human rights for everybody on the planet that almost nobody knows about," Seabrook said. "The end goal (of Rock for Human Rights) is a world-wide movement with millions of people aware of their human rights."


    Beaufort County Community College is a public comprehensive community college committed to accessible and affordable quality education, effective teaching, relevant training, and lifelong learning opportunities for the people served by the College.