Take Refuge - Audio CD

Leah Harris

Take Refuge, Leah Harris' debut spoken word album, is flavored with eclectic Middle Eastern, hip-hop, rock, go-go, reggae, and jazz influences. The album poignantly chronicles her legacy as the daughter of two people labeled with 'severe mental illness,' both of whom died very young as a result of toxic treatments and shattered dreams, leaving her an orphan at the age of 30, as well as her own psychiatrized girlhood and adolescence. Pieces such as 'Teenage Mental Patient,' 'dear dr.,' 'Superhero Momma,' and 'Revenge of the Crazy Wimmin' reflect her personal journey of liberation from psychiatric oppression, and her experiences as an artist, activist, and single mother. 'Article 12' refers to one of the articles in the UN Disability Convention; 'Her Name was Esmin' is a tribute to Esmin Green, who was murdered-by-neglect in Kings' County Hospital in 2008. It is an album filled with righteous rage, but it also brims over with faith in the possibility that a more just, humane, and peaceful world is within our grasp.