Grammy winning musician and philanthropist John Legend recently visited with New Orleans inmates and leaders of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Sen. Royce Duplessis announced Monday.
The “All of Me” star spoke with young incarcerated people about “improving their futures,” Duplessis wrote in a post on X.
“His commitment to this cause and his inspiring words will make a meaningful difference in their lives,” Duplessis said.
It’s unclear when Legend was in town and what he did during his visit. Duplessis’ office and OPSO officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Legend, a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter who has won 12 Grammys, two Emmys, an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Tony Award — a rare milestone known as an EGOT — has been involved in New Orleans area philanthropy since at least 2007, when he partnered with Tide to help families in St. Bernard Parish recover from Hurricane Katrina.
He’s long been an outspoken proponent of ending mass incarceration in the U.S. In May 2017, Legend visited the Louisiana Capitol to show support for efforts to reform the state’s criminal justice system.
“We can’t tolerate a system that destroys so many lives and so many communities,” Legend told the House Judiciary Committee during his 2017 visit. “Mass incarceration is ineffective, it’s harmful and it’s expensive.”
