Alvin 'Testimony' Bowman Releases Juneteenth Anthem 'You Lift Me Up' Celebrating Freedom and Redemption

On Juneteenth, June 19, 2026, faith-based social impact leader Alvin 'Testimony' Bowman releases his new single 'You Lift Me Up,' featuring acclaimed Philadelphia MC Karl 'Dice Raw' Jenkins and The Choir Boyz. The single is a declaration of survival, of faith, and of a life fully reclaimed, timed intentionally to one of the most meaningful days on the calendar.

Alvin Bowman's path to this moment reads like something no one would believe if they hadn't witnessed it themselves. A lacrosse prodigy who earned a Division I scholarship to Drexel University and was later inducted into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame, Bowman seemed destined for a life defined by achievement. And then crack cocaine took nearly two decades of it. What followed would have ended most men: homelessness, incarceration, seven or more rehabilitation attempts, and a gunshot wound to the head in Baltimore in February of 2009. It didn't end Alvin Bowman. On December 10, 2014, he found lasting sobriety through faith, community, and an unwillingness to let his story close on that chapter.

Today, Bowman is over a decade clean and sober, a top-performing sales professional, a masters lacrosse competitor with the Rusty Cannons, husband to Joy, Dad to Nia, and the voice behind 'Testimony', a faith-rooted spoken word brand built on the belief that no one is too far gone for restoration. In addition, through MindzEye, his nonprofit organization, he is developing mentorship and outreach programs for underprivileged youth, and he continues to inspire audiences in churches, community centers, and conferences across the country. The single's Juneteenth release is no accident. Freedom, in all its forms, runs through every bar.

'You Lift Me Up' is the first glimpse into what this project is really about,' says Bowman. 'This music is my testimony. It gives all glory to God for transforming my life and showing me that redemption is real. My hope and prayer is that every listener is reminded that their story isn't over, their circumstances don't define them, and God's grace is greater than any mistake they've ever made. If this song inspires someone to believe again, heal again, or dream again, then I've accomplished exactly what God has called me to do.'

The single features Karl 'Dice Raw' Jenkins, the Philadelphia lyricist and longtime collaborator of The Legendary Roots Crew, and The Choir Boyz, whose gospel-rooted harmonies bring the track's message of uplift to full elevation. The collaboration reflects the reach of Testimony's story, equally at home in the faith community and in the wider cultural conversation about redemption, second chances, and what it means to rise.

'You Lift Me Up' is the lead single from Testimony's forthcoming album Sticky Notes, set for release on August 17, 2026. Sticky Notes takes its name from the affirmation notes Bowman placed on his mirror during the darkest seasons of his recovery, daily reminders written to himself that there was still a reason to hold on. The album is, as Bowman describes it, the artistic expression of those notes: honest, personal, and written for anyone who needs to hear that restoration is possible and that God is real.

'You Lift Me Up' will be available on Bandcamp under 'ab.testimony' for those who wish to support this mission and on all streaming platforms to spread the word beginning June 19, 2026. For more information on his story, visit www.alvintestimonybowman.com.