Leah Harris: Take Refuge (2009)
Leah Harris, aka DharmaMama, is a spoken word artivist residing in Washington, DC. Her debut EP, "Take Refuge," is a project eight years in the making, beginning from her days as an awakening political poet bearing witness to life in Washington, DC in the wake of the 2nd Palestinian Intifada, September 11, 2001 and the Second Gulf War. "Take Refuge" 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. The album also reflects her own journey of liberation from psychiatric oppression, and her experiences as an artist, activist, and single mother. 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. Leah's work h