John Legend wants you to vote in Sacramento County’s DA election. Here’s what’s on his mind

A lot of celebrities use their platforms to share their thoughts on national politics, urging their fans to vote in big-ticket races like U.S. president or governor of California.

Grammy award-winning artist John Legend, on the other hand, wants to get down to the ground level. He’s turning his attention to local elections around the country where he sees an opportunity to support candidates he believes will make a difference on the issue he most cares about: discrimination in the criminal justice system.

This year, one of the candidates benefiting from his support is Alana Mathews, who is running for Sacramento County District Attorney against Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Thien Ho.

Legend highlighted Mathews on Twitter last month in a batch of six district attorney endorsements, touting her campaign to the more than 13 million people who follow him on the social media platform.

“We know that Alana has actual traction in the community, and she’s committed to investing more in social services, victim services, and mental health services,” Legend said. “She knows that incarceration is not the solution to all issues of crime and that we need to be smarter and consider alternatives.”

Legend wrote on Twitter last month he is paying “close attention” to races around the country that feature people of color running for prosecutorial positions that influence the legal system.

“We started doing that because the more we listened to activists, the more we listened to folks who have a role in the system. We realized that one area that wasn’t being focused on enough,” said Legend, who has been weighing in on local district attorney elections around the country for the past five years. “The role, the influence and power that prosecutors have in the system. They have so much influence over which charges are brought.”

Legend once sang that “the future started yesterday, we’re already late”. He encourages voters to get involved, learn about the candidates, and make the best decision for themselves and their communities.

Mathews was blown away by the celebrity’s endorsement.

“Well, I was very excited about that and I just think that it shows that the change that I want to bring to Sacramento County is really a change as needed across the state and across the nation,” said Mathews.

Whoever wins the district attorney race in Sacramento next month will make history as the first person of color to hold that office.

Ho, a Vietnamese immigrant, is touting his experience as a career prosecutor who helped put away, Joseph DeAngelo, the so-called Golden State Killer who terrorized Californians in the 1970s and ‘80s. He’s supported by law enforcement organizations and outgoing District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert.

Mathews, who is Black, is emphasizing removing illegal guns from the street and addressing domestic violence. She has also criticized Schubert’s record of not filing criminal charges against officers who have shot people on duty.

Legend has backed a number of other liberal district attorneys over the years, such as San Francisco’s Chesa Boudin, who is facing a recall election. He has also lobbied on California, such as releasing an open letter to Californians in 2015 urging the Legislature to pass a law that required law enforcement agencies to report data on racial profiling.

Deep down, he naturally had an eye for local and presidential electoral races, choosing to endorse candidates he believes will stand on their word of pursuing policies that best serve their communities.

Inspired by civil rights movement

Legend traces his interest in social justice to his youth, when he was growing up under his given name of John Stephens and inspired by leaders from the civil rights movement like Martin Luther King Jr. As a kid he wanted to be a lawyer, pursuing justice for the wrongfully accused, and other marginalized, oppressed people in America.

He later learned he grew up in a tough-on-crime era in which the nation pursued policies that resulted in heavy incarceration, especially in the Black community. Today, the U.S. incarcerates a greater proportion of its citizens than any other nation, with 716 people in custody for every 100,000 residents, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.

“We’re now, by far, the most incarcerated country in the world. And that didn’t just happen by chance. Those were policy decisions that led us to this place,” said Legend. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned more about the policy decisions at work, about the discretionary choices that prosecutors make about all these other choices that we’ve made over the years that have led to (mass incarceration).”

He doesn’t anticipate changing career paths to become a politician or lawyer. Instead the 12-time Grammy award-winner utilizes his musical fame and celebrity status to raise awareness on areas of focus such as social justice issues, the prosecutorial system, and voting.

It’s one of the main reasons he’s outspoken when discussing his views of human rights in his music, during interviews, or on social media.

He’s produced songs with civil rights messages such as “If You’re Out There”, “Glory” featuring Common, “One Man Can Change The World” with Big Sean and Kanye West, or “Higher” with DJ Khaled and Nipsey Hussle.

John Legend’s new song

He said it’s the same path that was forged for him by other musicians that used their influence to improve the lives of people less fortunate.

“Just thinking about artists like Stevie Wonder, Harry Belafonte and others who always maintained their day jobs as artists, actors or musicians, but never forgot the influence that they had,” said the musician, actor, and producer. “The fact that they could use their power to try to fight for justice and make people’s lives better, I’m going to continue to do that from this position (as a musician).”

The pianist and soul-singer recently released a new uplifting song titled “Free” about finding liberation from the external forces that are looking to make the world more authoritarian, divided, and hate-filled.

He performed at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards a month ago. He said he will release an album later this year.

“I’m going to continue to write songs that hopefully will inspire us to love each other, to fight for each other’s humanity and freedom,” he said. “I’ll continue to do that but also write lots of love songs and songs about everything else too. That’s part of who I am, as part of my artistry it’s part of my message to the world.”

This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 5:25 AM.