“Stories of Freedom” is a partnership project between the Innocence Project and StoryCorps Studios that documents the stories of the wrongfully incarcerated and the cathartic relief experienced by these individuals as they share their personal testimonies and experiences.
Reviewing ‘Stories of Freedom (Episode: Huwe Burton)’ at Tribeca 2026
Nominated for the Tribeca X Award for Audio and Podcasts, “Stories of Freedom (Episode: Huwe Burton)” is an animated episode focused on Huwe Burton, his positive coping mechanisms, and the community building he found when channeling his feelings of grief and uncertainty into musical endeavors with fellow inmates.
Linking up with Brian Carenard (known as the rapper “Saigon”), Burton recounts the desire to let the world know that he still existed while serving a 19-year sentence in a wrongful conviction as a teenager in a maximum security prison.
Visual Symbolism: Navigating the System Through Orange and Blue Animation
The animation provides a gentle, visually soothing element to both Burton and Carenard’s testimony. The use of a prominent orange color provides a meditative, symbolic reminder of the orange-colored demo tapes Burton sent to local college stations to play his music.
While the blue accented lines reflected the sterile, uniform institution of the maximum security prison, and Carenard’s silhouette before Burton influenced him to become more than just a “number” in the system.
An Impromptu Conversation with Producer Eritria Pitts
In the spirit of “Stories of Freedom”, I had a chance encounter with Eritria Pitts, the Project Manager and Producer for the Innocence Project, on this collaborative creation while attending Tribeca Festival. Pitts graciously sat down with us and during an impromptu conversation, told us more about the project, its goals, and the social impact gained by the falsely incarcerated sharing their stories with the world.
This “Stories of Freedom” Episode focuses on Huwe Burton and the rapper Saigon.
In Asian Spaces: “ So, tell me about the project.”
Eritria Pitts: “ So the project’s called ‘Stories of Freedom’ and it’s a partnership that we did with the Innocence Project and StoryCorps [Studios]. I was brought in by the Innocence Project as a producer, project manager, and our big goal was really archiving over 30 stories from exonerees, and these were going to be archived in the Library of Congress.
So, we want to make sure that we are archiving these stories, that they’re part of history, and we want to make sure that in selecting the exonerees that participated, we had very diverse stories.”
Creating Safe Spaces: Moving Beyond Traditional Interviews to Intimate Dialogue
Pitts went on to say that they specifically wanted the exonerees to have someone in their life whom they felt comfortable enough to open up to, sometimes for the first time, to share their story with for this project.
Eritria Pitts: “We want you to pick someone in your life that you truly trust, that you feel safe with. And from that, we have a variety of partnerships: some exonerees chose their lawyers, some of them chose their parents, their children, their siblings, their wives, their partners…
So far, it’s been an incredible experience with exonerees after they did these very heavy, emotionally driven stories. The goal is not just to talk about their life incarcerated, but how it affects everyone, right? Their relationships, their families.
We want to let people know this not only affects them, it affects every one of us. These people have been falsely incarcerated for a crime they did not commit. That could happen to anyone.”
In Asian Spaces: “ Yeah, it’s very common, right?”
Eritria Pitts: “ Yeah. We want people to hear these stories. Not only to know about these people’s journey, but to know ‘wow, this is something that should never, ever happen’. But also know these are people just like you and me, our neighbor, your family.
But what’s been great about this is that the exonerees that have participated on these projects, is that they felt like it was like a release. Some of them have never openly talked about some of the things they’ve experienced.”
In Asian Spaces: “ It must be difficult.”
Eritria Pitts: “Yeah”
In Asian Spaces: “It’s painful”
Eritria Pitts: “ It’s very, very painful.”
In Asian Spaces: “ So, it’s like a catharsis for them?”
Eritria Pitts: “ Yeah, and they didn’t even realize it. At first, they were very nervous, like ‘Well, I don’t know how to interview.’ I’m like, ‘It’s not an interview.’ We always are like, ‘Not an interview, but think of it as a very intimate conversation. And you have someone that you trust.’
And StoryCorps has been a great partnership because they had a facilitator in the room with them, so that if they’re struggling, if they need someone to facilitate, there’s someone there to guide them. But it’s just been a really incredible experience, and I’m just happy that everyone that participated felt like they’re really grateful that they did this.”
In Asian Spaces: “That’s amazing!”
Eritria Pitts: “ Thank you.”
In Asian Spaces: “Thank you so much! Thank you.”
The Cathartic Power of Storytelling: Why ‘Stories of Freedom’ Matters
“Stories of Freedom” is a project that is making a positive impact on the lives of those wrongfully incarcerated. Through the catalogued stories of the exonerated, their testimonies bring awareness to the judicial errors and mishaps that can potentially affect the lives of more people than we consciously realize worldwide.
Have you listened to any episodes from the “Stories of Freedom” podcast yet?
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☆ In Asian Spaces ☆ Ephesians 6:12 ☆
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