Midway through February, we continue to celebrate Black history month and move towards our collective vision of liberatory Black futures. We are reminded of the importance of both struggling forward for abolition and Black liberation, as well as caring for one another while we fight.
A person who beautifully embodies these values of shared struggle and collective care is self-described Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet Audre Lorde. In The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action, Lorde reminds us that our silence in the face of oppressive systems will never protect us. She says:
“Visibility-- which makes us most vulnerable-- is that which also is the source of our greatest strength.”
Lorde’s wisdom guides us as we struggle collectively for a world in which we can all be free.
Together with Project Rebound at Cal State Northridge we invite you to an important series of events: "Collectively Understanding Carcerality and Learning Transformative Justice," a series that will engage community in conversations about abolition and building community power.
The first event is "Remembering Quinten Thomas: The Fight for Justice Continues." Saharra White, an organizer with Dignity and Power Now will speak on her fight to honor her loved one, Quinten Thomas, and to seek justice in his name. Quinten was a CSUN student who was being incarcerated in Twin Towers on March 9th, 2018, when his life was stolen by the jail system. Saharra will be joined by other community activists and DPN organizers fighting against racialized state violence.
Family meeting will be VIRTUAL through Zoom on 2/22 6:30-8:30PM.
La reunión familiar será VIRTUAL a través de Zoom el 22/2 de 6:30-8:30PM.
Family meetings are held for families directly/indirectly impacted incarceration and law enforcement trauma.
This meeting will be held in both Spanish and English. We will have interpreters present. If you are not bilingual in those two languages, you will need to enable the interpretation feature. We will be emailing further instructions on how to enable the interpretation feature.
We're excited to continuespotlighting the incredible leadership of Dignity and Power Now’s Senior Advocacy Lead, James Nelson, and the powerful camaraderie and solidarity forged in DPN’s Forever Rooted program.
Our Forever Rooted program is a leadership program for formerly incarcerated community members who are re-entering our communities and building solidarity with one another as we fight together to end oppressive systems.
True to DPN’s values, Forever Rooted prioritizes healing and is based in an anti-oppression analysis.
At DPN,we are grateful for James Nelson’s leadership, and the fortitude, fellowship and power of our Forever Rooted community members and alumni.
DPN In the NEWS: DPN Supports Progressive District Attorney Policies, and Condemns the Regressive Lawsuit Filed by the ADDA
The Davis Vanguard covered Dignity and Power Now's opposition to the regressive Deputy District Attorney Association lawsuit filed against Gascón on December 30 of last year.
The Deputy District Attorney lobby's suit challenged Gascón’s progressive order to end the filing of gang enhancements and “three strikes” enhancements. From the article:
Dr. Lamia El Sadek, Executive Director of Dignity and Power Now, shares, “For the Deputy District Attorney’s Association to sue Gascón because he implemented progressive policy changes that were promised on the campaign trail is regressive and abhorrent.
We know that voters chose a transformation of our criminal legal system, leading away from an era of tough-on-crime approaches and towards an era of investing in care and community. The Deputy District Attorney’s Association is attempting to block progress to protect their own interests."
