Esperanza Spalding song, video call for Gitmo closure

Edna Gundersen | USA TODAY

"Time to find a new solution, justice for the men who should be free," Esperanza Spalding sings in the new We Are America, which calls for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

In the song's five-minute video, out today, the jazz artist raises legal and moral questions about the military prison, established in 2002 primarily to detain suspected terrorists. Of nearly 800 cycled through Gitmo, seven have been convicted; 164 remain, including 84 cleared for transfer.

Spalding bolsters her message with data, celebrity cameos and a chorus of supporting statements from current and former government officials (Colin Powell: "If it were up to me, I would close Guantanamo not tomorrow but this afternoon").

Spalding, 29, says she was motivated by nagging concerns that grew as she toured the world.

"It's embarrassing for America, and it's not in line with our values," she says by phone from Zaragoza, Spain, a stop on her European tour. "It scares me and it hurts that my country is doing this. We don't need to sacrifice human rights and the Constitution for the sake of security. It's counterproductive. We're better than this. We have the intelligence, creativity and resources to do better."

Spalding aimed for a defiant, rather than preachy, song that celebrates taking a stand. Against a backdrop of slinky funk-jazz, she belts the chorus, "We are America, in our America, we take a stand for this."

Joining her in the video are Stevie Wonder, Janelle Monáe, Savion Glover and Harry Belafonte (who hoists the placard "Guantanamo = immoral"). Arriving days before an expected Senate vote on the camp's closure, the video urges viewers to call legislators and get informed through such We Are America partners as Amnesty International and Human Rights First.

That's how Spalding initially responded.

"When the hunger strikes started, I felt even more upset that this place existed," she says. "I did research. I called my senators. I wanted to do more."

We Are America may not turn the tide, "but I don't want to sit by quietly when injustice is perpetuated," Spalding says. "This isn't a make-or-break piece of the puzzle. My hope is it will be contagious and move people to go, 'Yeah, this is wack.' It's worth a try."

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Esperanza Spalding - We Are America from ESP Media on Vimeo.