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John, become a Color Of Change supporter this Juneteenth »
CHIP IN TO POWER THE FIGHT FOR BLACK LIBERATION
John,
On Juneteenth, we celebrate the end of slavery — and keep fighting to abolish slavery once and for all.
Let us explain: Juneteenth marks the day when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved Black Americans in Texas. Later, the 13th Amendment officially ended slavery, but with a critical (and intentional) loophole: “except as a punishment for crime.”
John, 150 years later, prison labor is a multi-billion dollar industry.1 And too many Black people — who are over-surveilled, over-policed, and over-incarcerated — are forced into this rebranded system of slavery every day.2
Color Of Change is fighting with all we’ve got to win justice for Black people, and that includes ending prison labor and abolishing slavery for good. John, this Juneteenth, can we count on you to chip in to power our campaigns to end prison labor?
CHIP IN TO POWER THE FIGHT FOR BLACK LIBERATION
Back to that loophole in the 13th Amendment: After the U.S. kept slavery as a punishment for crime, states across the country rushed to criminalize Black people any way they could (see: "Black Codes" and Jim Crow laws). The “war on drugs” and ‘94 Crime Bill continued that legacy.
Decades later, little has changed at the federal level. Although prison labor is often framed as “voluntary,” working for pennies is one way to have your sentence (slightly) reduced. Refusing to work can land you in solitary confinement or even lead to a longer prison sentence.3
And just like enslaved people and Black folks under Jim Crow, incarcerated people are still “leased out” to work for private companies that profit from Black pain.4
We can end this cruel system, John, but we need your help. Chip in $5 or whatever you can to help Color Of Change continue our campaigns to end prison labor and the exploitation of Black people:
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Prison labor is a nationwide issue, John — from Louisiana, where incarcerated people clean and landscape the Governor’s Mansion,5 to California, where they’re paid a dollar an hour to risk their lives fighting forest fires.6
That’s why we need a national grassroots movement to end this form of slavery for good. Support from people like you is critical as we educate, organize, and mobilize our members, build coalitions, and fight to end prison labor from coast-to-coast.
John, make a donation to Color Of Change today to help power this fight:
CHIP IN TO HELP
END THE EXPLOITATION
OF BLACK PEOPLE
Before signing off, know this: Although we have a long road ahead of us to build a more equitable world for Black people, we are inspired every day by activists, organizers, and folks like you who are committed to this fight and securing wins for Black folks.
So on Juneteenth, as we celebrate those wins and the end of chattel slavery, let’s double down in the fight for Black liberation.
Thank you for standing with us.
Until justice is real,
-- Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Malachi, Erika, Megan, Ernie, Palika, Madison, Ariel, Trevor, Ana, McKayla, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
References:
1. The Uncounted Workforce. NPR, 29 June 2020.
2. America Never Abolished Slavery. Huffington Post, 02 May 2015.
3. Incarcerated women risk their lives fighting California fires. It’s part of a long history of prison labor. PBS News Hour, 22 October 2017.
4. Convict Leasing. The Equal Justice Initiative, 01 November 2013.
5. Louisiana House passes bill to expand use of state prisoner labor. The Times-Picayune (NOLA.com), 12 July 2019.
6. California Is Running Out of Inmates to Fight Its Fires. The Atlantic, 07 December 2017.
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