Award-winning singer/songwriter/keyboardist Emiko has launched her I BELIEVE YOU project which gives a voice and a platform for the survivors of sexual abuse, assault, harassment, and misconduct with a music video of the same name. The project is an expansion of the official music video for her song, “I Believe You”.
Emiko discussed her project with me in depth, explaining in part that the aim of I BELIEVE YOU “is to create a culture of trust, urgency, and transparency so that survivors and their families can get the help they need and not be afraid to take the escalated actions to bring perpetrators of this behavior to justice.”
The music video for “I Believe You” was conceived from what is a deeply personal song for Emiko. The song and video draw on her own experience as a sexual assault survivor. There are 24 survivors who join Emiko in this powerful video that communicates to other survivors that they are believed, that the truth will come out, and they aren’t alone.
Emiko has partnered with regional domestic/sexual violence organizations as resources for the project. A program is also being offered to help survivors cope with the trauma by expressing themselves through music, poetry, and creative writing. As for future plans, a documentary is being filmed, followed by an announcement of screenings and roundtable discussion dates in cities across the country.
To learn more, get involved with or support the I BELIEVE YOU project, go to its temporary web page, emikomusic.com/i-believe-you and send an email. Emiko says they reply to every email received.
