Andre Latallade, hip-hop artist and prison rights activist also known as Capital-“X”, will walk from New Jersey to Texas to advocate for the abolishment of capital punishment in the United States.
Latallade will begin his “Walk 4 Life” on March 31, 2008 at 5AM at the state house in Trenton, NJ, the first state to abolish the death penalty in the last 40 years. He will walk 1700 miles through 10 of the highest executing states and arrive at Governors mansion in Austin, Texas, “the busiest killing state in the country,” to await the Supreme Courts’ ruling on the constitutionality of capital punishment.

Latallade estimates it will take 54 days walking eight hours a day at 3.5 mph. He will take a break to participate on a panel at the Hip Hop Association’s HHEAL Festival in the Bronx, New York April 18-20.

Latallade wants to “build bridges between two groups; the families of murder victims and the families of the condemned. Separated we call for life or death, I say we unite and call for resolution.” Latallade promotes life sentences without parole as opposed to death sentences. Currently there is a moratorium on state-sanctioned executions while the Supreme Court rules whether lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment.

“I want to unite everybody fighting injustice and mobilize the international community to put pressure on the USA to abolish the death penalty. I have Italy, England, France, Denmark and Croatia behind me and am also reaching out to Puerto Rico.” Non-profit organizations, human rights groups, and abolitionists from around the world are supportive of Andre on his “Walk 4 Life.”

Anyone interested in supporting “X” can e-mail him at projectrevolution2010@gmail.com. Donate online here. Funds raised during the walk will go to victims’ families and abolitionist groups.

View X’s “Walk 4 Life” promotional clip and daily video blog documenting his journey at www.ONLOQ.com, a hip hop network that will be covering his expedition. There you can also view his profile and online show, “From the Frontlines.”