Here we are in the year 2014, enlightened, forward thinking - a global village. Elevated by the ability to reason and to rationally resolve conflict. Above all we celebrate the tolerance and acceptance we extend toward our fellow man, believing within the very core of our existence that every human being, man, woman or child, regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation has the right to live there lives in peace, free of oppression, free of fear. Able to worship the God of their choice, free to love who they choose, free to express a written or verbal opinion within a societal conversation without consequence. Here we are in the year 2014 and the manifesto outlined above is still just a daydream for many in this supposed civilized world. For embracing these beliefs to be true, many people are being starved, jailed, tortured and murdered every day. 

The global reach and impact of Amnesty International is the voice for those people. Where there is injustice, where people are stripped of their human dignity, wherever the fight for human rights takes them, Amnesty International has spent 50 years championing and advocating for those whose voices have been silenced.

One of the resources Amnesty has tapped into and used effectively to raise awareness and funding is the universal language of music. Since the inaugural Conspiracy of Hope Concerts in 1986 which featured performances by a diverse group of musicians including U2, Sting, Peter Gabriel and many more, the Human Rights Concert Series continues to bring the power of music into the forefront of the struggle. The most recent event took place at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on February 5 and #inthelab was there to bring you interviews and insights from the performers themselves, sharing their personal philosophy in supporting Amnesty International and their vision for what the world in the year 2014 should be...