A socially conscious and caring musician to the end, Chris Cornell filmed this video of his song for the film The Promise to be...
A socially conscious and caring musician to the end, Chris Cornell filmed this video of his song for the film The Promise to be released on World Refugee Day, June 20. This was to be Cornell's final release prior to his passing on May 18, 2017.
When the song was first released, Cornell said: "'The Promise' to me is mainly about paying homage to those we lost in the Armenian Genocide, but it's also about shining a light on more recent atrocities. The same methods used in the Armenian genocide were used to carry out crimes against humanity in Bosnia, Darfur, Rwanda, and right now in Syria on multiple fronts, contributing to a massive global refugee crisis.
"Unfortunately, the words 'never again' seem like just words when we recall these mass executions of the twentieth century, as well as renewed racism and prejudice around the world. Even in the U.S., the warning signs — isolating groups based on race and religion — are evident. We really need to tell these stories and keep telling them in as many different ways as we can. As humans, we have a tremendous capacity to trudge ahead in our lives and not look at the difficult and challenging moments... but I think it's important. Educating ourselves on the past is the best way to understand the present and avoid future atrocities by understanding and intervening. We must educate and stand as one to combat this fear and violence, and as citizens of the world, work to protect each other's human rights."
After touring refugee camps in Greece in April 2017 with his family, Cornell determined that the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation would focus its efforts on child refugees.