[link removed]

Dear John,

This past Monday was Juneteenth – a significant holiday which has a profound connection to our ongoing pursuit of ending mass incarceration.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, commemorates the day—June 19, 1865—when the last remaining enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were finally informed of their freedom, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed. This momentous occasion symbolizes the resilience, courage, and unwavering hope of the Black community and enslaved people in the face of oppression.

In recognition of Juneteenth and our commitment to educating our community about the ties of slavery to this nation’s mass incarceration crisis, we recently organized a trip with the incredible NBA Foundation to Atlanta and Montgomery, specifically for our formerly incarcerated youth Members. We engaged in inspiring discussions at Spelman College and Morehouse College (both HBCU’s), where we read and dissected the 1960 document "An Appeal for Human Rights" with Mellon Fellows. We visited incarcerated youth at Atlanta's Metro Youth Detention Center, where harsh sentencing towards youth, especially youth of color, are still prevalent. Our journey also included a study of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy at his birthplace and a powerful visit to the Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Museum in Montgomery. These experiences served to deepen our understanding of the connections between slavery, racism, mass incarceration, and our current criminal legal system.

[link removed]

In addition to all of this, we were honored to have a moment of reflection with Brontina Smith. At age 17, her son received a 60 year to life sentence due to the felony murder rule in Alabama. In comparison, his codefendants each received. Too many Black people, Black youth, remain overrepresented in prisons, jails, and juvenile halls. We must do more to confront and remove racial bias from the justice system and are working on this through our nationwide effort to promote policies that enact Miranda Rights for youth.

[link removed]

In response to this trip, some of our Members had the following to say,

“I really had a great time and gained a lot more insight on this outing. I am very honored to have shared this space with you all.”

“I would like to say I had an amazing time, and honestly learned knowledge I will share and educate others with. I feel honored to have been on this trip with everyone!”

“It was an honor to share this experience with all of you. I hope everyone got something from this historic event. I know I did!! Much love.”

“Ready for home but feeling elated for experiencing this awesome trip. Proud of the members that experienced this as well. Something that I believe is needed to keep us motivated.”

It was an excellent trip, which provided the opportunity for many of our youth Members to travel out of California for the first time. It was an honor to reflect with our community on our nation’s history. A short video about our trip can be found here ([link removed]) . Please watch and share with your networks.

John, please consider donating and standing with us ([link removed]) in our dedication to creating a future where freedom, justice, and equality are fundamental rights enjoyed by every member of our society. Thank you as always for your commitment to this work and for believing in second chances for all our Members.

Sincerely,

Sam Lewis
Executive Director
Anti Recidivism Coalition (ARC)
DONATE TODAY ([link removed])
Ending Mass Incarceration ([link removed])
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]

============================================================
Anti-Recidivism Coalition
** www.antirecidivism.org ([link removed])

Copyright © 2023 Anti Recidivism Coalition, All rights reserved.
You're receiving this because you are on our mailing list or signed up via the website.

Our mailing address is:
Anti Recidivism Coalition
1320 E. 7th Street
Suite 260
Los Angeles, CA 90021
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])