Throughout the night we heard from inspiring artists and activists like Baltimore’s Kevin Moore, Black Violin, Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities, I Love Vinyl, Tai Beauchamp and Viacom President and CEO, Philippe Dauman – our 2015 See It. Film It. Change It. honoree. Citizen witness Kevin Moore brought the audience to their feet with his powerful story of documenting the arrest of Freddie Gray in a video that would lead to the indictment of six police officers and bring national attention to the issue of police violence. “We all have the power to stand up against what we know is not fair – and fight for what is just,” he said. “And by hitting record on your phone, you could change or even save a life.”

WITNESS’ Yvette Alberdingk Thijm inspired us with a look into the future as she explained how initiatives like WITNESS Media Lab are using new cutting edge technology to hold human rights perpetrators accountable for abuse. In a changing world, we know WITNESS will continue to bring about justice one video at a time.

The night concluded with a performance from Sebu Simonion of Capital Cities’ hit song, “Safe and Sound” ending the night on a note of optimism about the fight ahead.

Thanks to those who stood with us on November 12th – and who continue to stand up for a just world! We could not continue our mission to expose truth and defend human rights freedoms without your incredible support.

To experience this inspiring night through photos and video check our website and YouTube channel.

Honoring Philippe Dauman, Viacom President & CEO

New York, November 2, 2015 –  The 2015 Focus for Change Benefit dinner and concert for WITNESS, the international human rights organization, will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2015 at ArtBeam.

A combination of musical performances, inspiring stories from human rights activists, and a community of supporters representing the arts, journalism, philanthropy, tech and more come together for one of most inspirational events in New York City.

WITNESS trains and supports people to use video safely, ethically, and effectively for human rights worldwide. More people than ever are using video to expose the truth, yet they often lack the tools and skills to turn their videos into justice. Too often their footage is difficult to verify, lost completely, or simply does not contain the information needed for a court of law. This year’s Benefit theme “Video for Justice” highlights WITNESS’ work connecting activists and lawyers to ensure they understand each other’s needs and challenges in order to increase the potential of video as a tool for justice.

For more information about the event, visit http://focusforchange.org. More about WITNESS https://www.witness.org

WHAT: 11th Annual Focus For Change Benefit and Concert for WITNESS

WHO:

• Host: Peter Gabriel, musician, human rights advocate and WITNESS co-founder
• Performances By: Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities, Black Violin, DJ Scribe & OP!
• Honoree: Philippe Dauman, Viacom President & CEO, for his dedication to amplifying stories of social change and in doing so inspiring Viacom audiences to take action around issues that matter to them.
• Featured Speaker: Kevin Moore, WeCopwatch Baltimore Activist who filmed the arrest of Freddie Gray
• Red Carpet Host: Tai Beauchamp

WHEN: Thursday, November 12, 2015, 6:30pm: Red carpet arrivals and cocktail. 7:15: Program, paddle raise and performances. *Press check-in at 6 PM.

WHERE: ArtBeam, 540 West 21st Street (at 11^th Ave) New York, NY

*PRESS: Must RSVP in advance to cover event. To RSVP and to request interviews in advance of the event please contact Matisse Bustos-Hawkes at WITNESS via Press@witness.org or 718-783-2000 ext. 306 or Erica Gerard at PMK via Erica.Gerard@pmkbnc.com or 212-582-1111.

While today’s mobile technology has enabled millions upon millions to be video witnesses, a special group of people purposefully put their lives at risk to document human rights abuses, bring those images and stories to light, and affect change. Focus For Change is our small part to honor them.

“With cameras everywhere, we can document and share what is really going on,” said WITNESS Co-Founder Peter Gabriel in opening remarks to the evening. “We can build campaigns with millions — even billions — of others, and we can leverage those numbers to create real change.”

Peter Gabriel speaking at WITNESS’ 10 Annual Focus For Change Benefit.

WITNESS has trained activists for over 22 years in safe filming techniques and how to create videos that can drive positive change. Take Rami Jarrah, an award-winning citizen journalist from Syria and this year’s Focus For Change special guest.

Rami became active in Syrian protest groups early in 2011. He quickly became a trusted spokesperson and was interviewed frequently by international media. He also spoke out via social media using the pseudonym Alexander Page for about six months before his identity was discovered by the Al Assad regime and he narrowly escaped Syria. Rami co-founded the Activists News Association (ANA) to help professionalize citizen journalism efforts in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. ANA organizes video databases, circulates citizen reports to the media, human rights organizations and the International Criminal Court.

Visa issues kept Rami from joining us in New York but in prepared remarks he had this to say:

When brutal things happen in far-off places, they are hard to imagine. Even for me, having seen the atrocities in Syria myself, the brutality is sometimes beyond my grasp.

But thanks to media activists, we do not have to imagine. Thanks to the millions of ordinary people who are filming what is happening: We can ALL witness.

And once you are a witness, you feel an urge to do something. I believe all people share that urge. It is why we flood the streets and join protests. It is why we pick up cameras when we see persecution.

It is why we are all here tonight. We know our neighbors are suffering, and so we come to celebrate the courage of those who are telling us their stories.

“I am speaking on behalf of all of us at WITNESS,” said Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, WITNESS Executive Director, “when I say it is people like Rami, the men and women we work with, who inspire us every day.”

More About Focus For Change

Visit Focus For Change for photos and other coverage of the event. Read Rami’s complete remarks on the WITNESS Blog. And, importantly:

For the past decade, WITNESS has brought together human rights activists, world-renown musicians, and a community of supporters from the arts, media, philanthropy and tech worlds to share stories of the brave human rights defenders who use video to expose abuse, while garnering new support to reach the next generation of activists. The Benefit has become one the most celebratory nonprofit events in the city; all in support of human rights change.

This year’s theme is “Stories of Courage” and you can join us October 16 in New York City as we celebrate brave citizen witnesses everywhere who put themselves at risk to share stories of abuse.

Special Guest

Our special guest is Rami Jarrah, a Syrian-British political activist from Damascus and co-director of The Activist News Association (ANA), a media collective of citizen journalists who publish video and radio reports of life on the front lines, providing critical information both inside Syria and internationally.

Rami was arrested in 2011 while filming a protest in the Umayyad Mosque and was tortured for three days in a Syrian security branch and then released upon signing a document admitting he was a terrorist sent from abroad. After his release, he began providing information and video to international media under the pseudonym “Alexander Page.” He was “outed” by Syrian intelligence in the fall of 2011 and fled to Egypt.

Video examples of The ANA’s work can be seen here. Their Facebook page is here.

Musical Guest

Hassan Hakmoun, one of the most notable figures in contemporary Moroccan music, will be playing live at this year’s benefit. Hassan fuses traditional Gnawa music steeped in Islamic mysticism and West African rhythms with jazz, rock, blues and neo-classical contemporary Western music. The result is a diverse, award-winning and critically acclaimed body of work.

More Info & Ticket Purchases

To learn more about this year’s annual benefit, visit FocusForChange.org or contact us directly.

Tickets to the benefit can be purchased here.

Not going to be in New York City but would like to donate to be there in spirit? You can do that here.

And a Little History

Past Focus for Change Benefit Hosts and Performers include Gael García Bernal, Angelina Jolie, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Christiane Amanpour, Susan Sarandon, Angélique Kidjo, Feist, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, Jimmy Cliff, Crosby & Nash, Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, The Roots, Sheryl Crow, Rodrigo y Gabriela, K’Naan, and Citizen Cope, among many others.

Here’s some of what last year’s Focus for Change Benefit looked like. Select images to enlarge.