Kempis “Ghani” Songster
Kempis Songster is the Healing Justice Organizer with the Amistad Law Project. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Songster spent 30+ years in prison on a sentence to life without parole/death by incarceration that began at the age of 15. He occupied his time behind prison walls trying to regain his humanity and moral rectitude, and learning how to advocate for the humanity of others. He is a founding member of Right to Redemption, and a founding member of the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration (CADBI). He is a co-founder of The Redemption Project. He is also co-founder and director of Ubuntu Philadelphia.
His case is the focus of the Transom and Frontline two-part documentary Living With Murder by Samantha Broun and Jay Allison. In 2019, Living With Murder was among eight Frontline features to be honored with the Gold Baton from the Alfred Dupont Columbia Awards. He now hosts Amistad’s new monthly podcast show Move It Forward. In the three years since his release, Kempis has been front and center in the fight for a more livable world.