Demand Your RightsOver 70,000,000 people in the United States have a criminal record. They face an estimated 45,000 barriers and exclusions. The #WORKINGfuture campaign centers the voices and experiences of directly impacted people to fight back against the attack on the livelihoods and well-being of people with records. It is our mission to boldly redefine the standard for economic justice for all workers with a new Bill of Rights.“We come out of jail and we’re still locked up.”The undercurrent of every major civil and political rights movement in U.S. history has been the struggle for economic justice, and every movement has been waged by those most impacted. The fight to dismantle incarceration and criminalization is no exception. What we have seen after decades of the War on Drugs, tough on crime policies, and mass incarceration is an intentional and almost unprecedented denial of wages, skills, safety, and human dignity. Six decades of policymaking has led to economic disinvestment in the same communities most harmed by over-policing and mass criminalization. While millions of workers search for what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called “the dignity of labor,” the 45,000 laws and statutes continue to relegate people to a perpetual second class status. We say enough. In 2018, the #WORKINGfuture campaign released the Bill of Rights for Criminalized Workers — a blueprint to restore the civil and human rights of people with records and formerly incarcerated people. We have made significant gains in places like Rhode Island, South Carolina, Michigan, and Ohio as we continue to work with advocates and legislatures to overturn harmful laws and policies. Most recently, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezsubmitted the Bill of Rights into the congressional record during a hearing for the Fair Chance Act, as an essential document when talking about restoring dignity for people with records.We are deeply proud of the work we have accomplished so far, but we have so much left to do. Almost every town, city, and state has statutes or laws that prevent people with records from working, finding housing, or supporting their family with a generational wage. A conviction should not be a life sentence. We demand a #WORKINGfuture for all. Take action:Contact your legislators to share the Bill of Rights and ask that they use it to craft policies that support people with records.If you are in Rhode Island, call your legislator: ask them to “support House Bill 5863 which will provide important opportunities for people with criminal records to obtain occupational licenses.”If you are in South Carolina, call your legislator: ask them to ” support House Bill 3463 which will Ban the Box for state employment.”Submit a letter to the Trump Administration before April 2nd to demand an end the administration’s dangerous proposals. #handsoffSNAPONWARD! Megan French-Marcelin, #WORKINGfuture Campaign CoordinatorLeadership HighlightMarcus Bullock#LwC2019 FellowWhen I was only fifteen years old, I was sentenced to eight years in prison and sent to a maximum security facility hours away from my home. As I stood in front of the judge, I really didn’t understand the depth of what was happening to me—that I was going to spend the rest of my teens up through age 23 in prison. One of the things that kept me alive through that difficult journey was that I received letters in the mail from my mother. Read His StoryUpdates & EventsTestifying in Congress#LwC2015 alumna Teresa Hodgetestified in front of Congress last week in support of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act and was featured in The Washington Post. Read Her Testimony#CLOSErikers ForumsJLUSA President/CEO DeAnna Hoskins joined a panel of directly impacted leaders to discuss #OurPlan to #CLOSErikers. Join the next forum TONIGHT in Brooklyn! Register Here #RestorePellChatOn 3/27 at 1pm EST, JLUSA will be co-hosting a Twitter chat to discuss the benefits of expanding access to postsecondary education in prison, and why it’s time to repeal the federal ban on Pell Grants for incarcerated students. #RestorePellChatIn California, JusticeLAcommended Governor Gavin Newsom’s order to end the death penalty in the state. The campaign asks the Governor to go further and end Life without Parole. In Westchester, New York, the legislature passed a resolution in support of critical bail, discovery, and speedy trial bills. Detroit Justice Center and Nation Outside hosted a powerful community listening session on Clean Slate in Michigan. Registration opened for JLUSA’s Emerging Leaders in Seattle, Washington. Register by March 23rd to attend!The 2019 LwC cohort attended their second of four forums in New York City. See photos here! Did You Know? 90% of all people incarcerated in Philadelphia are people of color. Learn more at closethecreek.orgJoin the Movement! Become a Member TODAY!Copyright © 2019 JustLeadershipUSA, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you are a socially engaged individual who is interested in learning more about how you and JLUSA can work together to half mass incarceration by 2030, and transform the U.S. criminal justice system. Our mailing address is: JustLeadershipUSA1900 Lexington Ave.New York, NY 10035 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. |