ACLU Supporter –

Congress is on the cusp of rectifying our country's racist sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine sentencing – and it's going to take all of us taking swift action right now to make sure they get the job done.

I'll be clear: Crack and powder cocaine are chemically identical, yet federal sentencing laws treat crack cocaine possession 18 times more harshly than powder cocaine.

For over 35 years, this unjust framework has disproportionately devastated communities of color. Black people in particular are more likely to be prosecuted for crack offenses than white people – and continue to be forced into extreme prison sentences as a result.

That's where the EQUAL Act comes into the picture. This is a common-sense bill that directly addresses this discriminatory disparity by treating crack and powder cocaine offenses equally. And the Senate is poised to put it to a vote any day now.

Before they do, send a message to your senators now and urge them to vote YES on the EQUAL Act.

The EQUAL Act has gathered bipartisan support. It overwhelmingly passed the House – 361 to 66 – and now it's crucial that the Senate passes it unamended.

The fact is, thousands of people have been locked away into federal prisons because of the severe and racially discriminatory gaps between our crack and powder cocaine laws.

That is decades of families, communities, and lives being needlessly damaged by our criminal justice system. It's past time we put it to an end, ACLU Supporter.

Please, tell your senators to pass the EQUAL Act now.

Thanks for taking action,

Aamra Ahmad
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Senior Policy Counsel, ACLU