Hi Reader,
When our journalism is published and in the hands of our readers, real change can occur. In late May, ProPublica Illinois reporter Jodi Cohen received a troubling phone call from a desperate mother in Michigan. Her 15-year-old daughter, Grace (her middle name), had been sent to a juvenile detention facility as the coronavirus swept across the country. Her crime: failing to complete her remote schoolwork, which a judge ruled a violation of the girl’s probation.
Within days, Grace’s story prompted shock and anger around the United States and abroad, igniting renewed attention to the daunting challenges that Black teens here face every day, especially in the midst of the worst pandemic this country has seen in over 100 years. #FreeGrace became a trending hashtag, protesters showed up outside the county courthouse where Grace was sentenced and the Michigan Supreme Court’s oversight agency announced it was reviewing procedures in the case. A week later, at a hearing in which she defended her original decision, the judge in Grace’s case denied an emergency motion to release the girl from juvenile detention. But last Friday, two and half weeks after our first story, the Michigan Court of Appeals ordered Grace’s immediate release and she went home. She had been incarcerated for a total of 78 days.
Grace’s story caused outrage among readers, and from that outrage came impact, which is the ultimate goal of our work: to spur real-world change using the moral force of investigative journalism. Sometimes change occurs quickly. Sometimes, it can take years, and dozens of stories. But no matter how long the road to justice, ProPublica sticks with the story. We have the freedom and resources to be so dogged in our work because much of our funding comes from our readers — folks like you who know how powerful independent journalism can be when it shines a light on stories like Grace’s.
Your support today will help ProPublica expose more injustices all over the country. We’ve got dozens of investigations in the works even now, and your monthly donation will help us see them to the end, and plan for the future.
Stand up for the power of journalism to spark change for the better, and join us today.
Thanks so much,
Jill Shepherd
Proud ProPublican
