Rap, redemption, and justice: A live conversation from death row
March 7, 2025
Brandeis University hosts a groundbreaking discussion with Alim Braxton, calling in live from Wake County Detention Center, and Mark Katz to explore the power of music, justice, and transformation.
Waltham, Mass. — “What leads someone to take another’s life? What do we owe those whom we incarcerate? What is, or what should be, the purpose of the United States carceral system? How can the impulses that lead to violences be transformed, and what role can art play in that transformation? Are there limits to redemption?” Questions shaping our human existence like this are the cornerstone of Alim Braxton and Mark Katz’s co-authored book – “Rap and Redemption: Seeking Justice and Finding Purpose Behind Bars” (2024). On March 11 at 4 p.m., Brandeis University invites students, faculty, staff and community members to Rapaporte Treasure Hall to engage with this text in an open community discussion.
What is unique about this educational opportunity is that writer, rapper, and activist living on North Carolina’s Death Row in Raleigh, Alim Braxton (a.k.a. Rrome Alone) will call in live from Wake County Detention Center to share his testimony, answer questions from the audience, and perform live raps. His co-presenter, Mark Katz, will make this otherwise impossible conversation a reality by carrying a portable speaker with him around the room filled with over a hundred guests in attendance.
The two authors met in 2019 when Alim sent a handwritten letter to Mark introducing himself and explaining his desire for technological support to record the first ever album from death row. The conversation evolved into a published book that would share Alim's story to a wider audience. Their letters are now archived at UNC-CH in the Alim Braxton Collection, 2019-2022.
Why Brandeis? Well, Megan Moran (Associate Director, COMPACT and Program Advisor, Community Engaged Scholars Program, CESP) knows Mark from her days as a doctoral student at UNC-CH where she worked with Mark on a thesis chronicling the institutionalization of hip hop DJing, and also, as she served as his RA for Next Level. “When I learned about Mark’s new project with Alim,” Moran explained, “I knew that there would be the opportunity for a meaningful, interdisciplinary, and community-engaged discussion at Brandeis. It shows through the tremendous support this event received in the planning process across the curriculum (i.e. from the Community Engaged Scholars Program, Legal Studies Department, and Department of Music), student organizations (Basement Records, C.A.R.E., and the Muslim Student Association), campus partners (COMPACT, BEJI, Center for Spiritual Life, and the Library), and community partners in the Greater Boston Area. The starting point was seeking the support of my friend and colleague Rosalind Kabrhel (Chair, Legal Studies Program and Director, Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative, BEJI).”
“‘Rap and Redemption on Death Row’ offers an incredible window into the hidden world of prison, and into the hearts and minds of those within the prison walls. We are so grateful for the opportunity to share the work of Alim Braxton and Mark Katz with our students, who care deeply about the harmful effects and collateral consequences of mass incarceration,” Kabrhel explained, “As students reflect on their role in creating a more just world, they will always remember the powerful firsthand accounts of individuals like Alim—who demonstrate that humanity, love, hope, forgiveness, and redemption can be found even in the most challenging circumstances.”
Event Details
Date: March 11, 2025
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Brandeis University Library, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02453
Community reception to follow at 5:30 p.m. For more information about this event, please visit the Samuels Center for Community Partnerships and Civic Transformation (COMPACT) website.
This event is hosted by The Vic ’63 and Bobbi Samuels ’63 Center for Community Partnerships and Civic Transformation (COMPACT) and the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative (BEJI) and co-sponsored by the Brandeis University Library, Brandeis University Center for Spiritual Life, Basement Records, C.A.R.E, and the Muslim Student Association. It will take place during DEIS Impact 2025 and Civic Learning Week.
Thanks to generous funding from our sponsors, “Rap and Redemption on Death Row” is digitally available for free through the Brandeis Library for faculty, staff, and students and two copies are now available through the Waltham Public Library.
