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[ [link removed] ]John, become a
Color Of Change supporter this Juneteenth!
[ [link removed] ]chip in to power the fight for black liberation
On Juneteenth, we celebrate the end of slavery. But the fight to abolish
slavery is still going on.
Juneteenth marks the day when news of the Emancipation Proclamation
reached enslaved Black people in Texas. Later, the 13th Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution officially ended chattel slavery, but with a critical —
and intentional — loophole: “except as a punishment for crime.”
Mike, 150 years later, prison labor is a multibillion-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
[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is fighting with all we’ve got to win justice for Black
people, and that includes ending forced prison labor and abolishing
slavery for good. Mike, this Juneteenth, can we count on you to chip in to
power our campaigns to end prison labor?
[ [link removed] ]CHIP IN TO HELP END THE EXPLOITATION OF
BLACK PEOPLE
After the U.S. kept slavery as a punishment for crime, states across the
country rushed to criminalize Black people any way they could, especially
during the Jim Crow era. The “war on drugs” and the 1994 federal Violent
Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act – AKA the Crime Bill — continued
that legacy.
Decades later, little has changed at the federal level. Although prison
labor often is framed as “voluntary,” most incarcerated people are made to
feel like they have no choice. Working for pennies is one way for the
incarcerated to have their sentence reduced – but only slightly. Refusing
to work can land them 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
[ [link removed] ]We can end this cruel system, Mike, 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:
[ [link removed] ]Donate now [ [link removed] ]Donate now
[ [link removed] ]Donate now [ [link removed] ]Donate now
Prison labor is a nationwide issue, Mike — from Louisiana, where
incarcerated people clean and landscape the governor’s mansion,^5 to
California, where they’re paid $1 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 mobilize
our members, uplift coalitions like 13th Forward^7 and fight to end prison
labor nationwide.
[ [link removed] ]Mike, make a donation to Color Of Change today to help power this
fight.
So today, as we celebrate Juneteenth and the end of chattel slavery, let’s
double down in the fight for Black liberation.
Thank you for standing with us on Juneteenth.
Until Justice Is Real,
Color Of Change’s Criminal Justice & Democracy Team
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References:
1. [ [link removed] ]The Uncounted Workforce. NPR, 29 June 2020.
2. [ [link removed]'t%20true.-,We%20never%20actually%20abolished%20slavery.,%22... ]America Never Abolished Slavery. Huffington Post, 02 May 2015.
3. [ [link removed] ]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. [ [link removed] ]Opinion: New York Should Reject a Return to Private Prison
Labor. City Limits, 10 March 2022.
5. [ [link removed] ]Louisiana House passes bill to expand use of state prisoner
labor. The Times-Picayune (NOLA.com), 12 July 2019.
6. [ [link removed] ]California Is Running Out of Inmates to Fight Its Fires. The
Atlantic, 07 December 2017.
7. [ [link removed] ]13th Forward.
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[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please
help keep our movement strong.
[ [link removed] ]Make a Donation
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