Teen Bresha Meadows Stood Up To Her Abusive Father. Talib Kweli Tells Her Story (Audio)

In July of 2016, Warren, Ohio teenager Bresha Meadows fatally shot her father, reportedly as he slept. The 14-year-old killed Jonathan Meadows after years of physical abuse, which also included her brothers and mother, according to relatives. Despite the evidence of abuse, Meadows was charged with aggravated murder. Bresha and her attorneys reached a plea deal that would keep the minor in treatment for 18 months as of May. Upon her release, no criminal record will reportedly follow the teen who allegedly ran away from her father prior to the fatal confrontation.

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Bresha’s family is not satisfied with the current treatment for post traumatic stress disorder. They have raised more than $155,000 in effort to get the teen free and in proper care sooner. Talib Kweli is a Hip-Hop artist who is aware of the issue, and on Bresha’s side in a very major way. Today (August 28), he released the heartfelt storytelling track “She’s My Hero.” There, Talib tells Bresha Meadows’ story on an Oh No-produced track.

Talib uses the brutal incident to chronicle poor mental healthcare and judicial systems, and why powers that be do not honor courage, when it takes this shape. In his song post, Kweli linked to Meadows’ crowd-funding page, and used the #FreeBresha hashtag. The words are powerful, from the title (which is a quote Bresha’s mother stated) to the lyrics. The Black Star MC values self-defense, courage, and those who stand up for what’s right against those who do wrong.

“Regardless of how you feel about this particular case, whether you feel it’s a self defense issue, a domestic abuse issue, a mental health issue or all of the above, the take away for me is that we must do a better job of taking care of and protecting our children. Our children should never feel they have to make these kinds of decisions. I see my own children in Bresha’s young face, and I want to uplift their voices as much as I possibly can,” Kweli said in a statement.

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Earlier this year, Kweli released The Seven, an EP with longtime collaborator Styles P of The LOX.