[link removed]
In a poem accompanying Titus Kaphar’s “Analogous Colors” on the cover of TIME, he writes: “In her expression, I see the Black mothers who are unseen, and rendered helpless in this fury against their babies.”

Colleagues and Friends,

From policing to sentencing, from probation and parole to reentry, every part of the justice system disproportionally harms Black and brown people and Native Americans. For change to be comprehensive and lasting, advocacy around social justice and racial equity must be linked.

Artists and advocates in the Art for Justice community have long centered racial equity and addressed anti-Blackness in their work to end mass incarceration. They understand deeply that the status quo kills Black people and traumatizes us all.

We’re heartened to see diverse crowds protesting in the streets. Across the nation, many white people have joined people of color to demand racial equity. But more must say, ‘This is my fight, too.’ In the June 23rd issue of TIME, our founder Agnes Gund, shares her journey ([link removed]) of becoming an advocate for racial justice and reflects upon those who’ve educated and inspired her.
“When it comes to racial bias, you either participate in it actively or through silence, or you use your power and privilege to dismantle it. Each day you make this choice – when you serve as a juror, when you call the police,….when and for whom you vote. If oppression happens, then we are allowing it to happen and we are all in the position to stop it.”

–Agnes Gund, Founder, Art for Justice Fund

If you’re already doing this work, we trust Agnes’ words strengthen your resolve; if you’re looking for a way to join, we hope they prompt you to take action.

Grantee partners’ voices – those most proximate to the harms and solutions of the broken justice system due to their lived experiences and work – are centered in Art for Justice Fund’s learning. Below, we’ve collected some of their recent stories for your reflection. Please share with us: what have you read or watched lately that shapes how you’re processing this critical moment?

With gratitude and encouragement,

The Art for Justice Fund Team
www.artforjusticefund.org ([link removed])
NEWS CLIPS

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Black Lives Matter Co-Founder on Building a Movement Through Art ([link removed]) , Rolling Stone
"The way I understand my art and my politics is, they are not different from each other,” stated patrisse cullors, whose new performance piece explores the failures of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
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We should listen to Rayshard Brooks about probation ([link removed]) , USA Today
Vincent Shiraldi probes the need to overhaul the probation system

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Judges Must Also Be Centered In Demands To Defund And Divest From Mass Criminalization ([link removed]) , The Appeal
Calls to defund the police should be accompanied by efforts to divest power and discretion from judges, according to Gina Clayton-Johnson

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Twelve Minutes and a Life ([link removed]) , Runner’s World
Ahmaud Arbery went for a jog and was gunned down in the street. How running fails Black America by Mitchell S. Jackson

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'I Cannot Sell You This Painting.' ([link removed]) , TIME
Titus Kaphar on his TIME Cover
From a boarded up storefront on Manhattan’s East 15th Street, Baldwin’s voice rings out.
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