350 Wenatchee Climate Conversations NCW

Fam,

We’re midway through Black August, a revolutionary tradition launched in the 1970s and dedicated to honoring, commemorating, and supporting the countless freedom fighters who have sacrificed their lives in the struggle for Black liberation.

Many Black organizers and activists have been targeted and vilified in attempts to dissuade the movement for Black liberation. Many of them have lost their freedoms for speaking out against white supremacy and state violence. Some leaders who fought hard for a future in defense of Black lives have spent decades in prison. We have not been deterred in our efforts to achieve Black liberation, but as we continue the fight to free ourselves, we must uplift our comrades’ sacrifice and struggle.

For so many of our radical leaders, incarceration is not only a loss of time, but an active daily battle for survival. Our incarcerated comrades experience significant harm while in prison: isolation, abuse, indignities, grief for their time lost, and so much more. In honoring our comrades, we must acknowledge the abuses and injustices they—especially women and trans, gender non-conforming, and intersex people (TGNCI)—are facing.

Women are more likely to face harassment, sexual violence, and other harrowing conditions in prison; TGNCI people face increased risk of violence, including misgendering upon intake and sentencing, denial of gender-affirming medical care, as well as various types of assault. Violence against TGNCI people in prisons is also more likely to be fatal.

We as a community must show our love and support for incarcerated comrades who have fought so hard for our movement. Join us now, and for the rest of month, as we lift up a few of the many petitions for clemency and fundraising campaigns of Black political prisoners currently experiencing the indignity and harm of incarceration:

Reverend Joy Powell
Rev. Joy is a pastor and an activist against police brutality, violence, and oppression in her community. That work made her a target for the Rochester police, leading to false charges against her. After a flagrantly corrupt trial process, Rev. Joy is facing a lifetime in prison. As she seeks an appeal to overturn this cruel sentence, donate to help sustain and support her during her incarceration.

Sundiata Acoli
Please sign and share this petition demanding New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy commute the sentence of 84-year-old Sundiata Acoli. Sundiata is a grandfather, poet, mathematician, and profoundly talented visual artist. This May marked 48 years of his incarceration. Sundiata’s health is deteriorating in his late stage of life. Currently, he is suffering from advanced dementia, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, emphysema, post–COVID-19 symptoms, and glaucoma. Sundiata must be released before his health is further compromised. It’s past time to #BringSundiataHome.

Ashley Diamond
Ashley Diamond is a Black trans woman and prisoners’ rights activist. She made national headlines in 2016 for her landmark victory against the Georgia Department of Corrections. Ashley has since been re-imprisoned because of a technical parole violation and is currently incarcerated at Coastal State Prison in Garden City, Georgia. Her situation is urgent. She has faced repeated sexual assault and denial of health care, which has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sign the petition demanding that Ashley be immediately transferred to a women’s facility with vital access to the health care she needs, and that she be given an expedited parole date given the violence she has experienced during imprisonment. Please also donate to further support her in this fight.

Dr. Mutulu Shakur
Dr. Mutulu Shakur is a father, grandfather, healer, and human-rights activist who has been in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons for more than 35 years. He is now 70 years old, has suffered two strokes, glaucoma, and Stage 3 bone-marrow cancer for the last 2 ½ years. Dr. Shakur was sentenced to 60 years in prison because of actions based on his political beliefs. He was targeted and victimized by the now-infamous Counter-Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) as early as 1968. Sign this petition to call on President Biden to release Dr. Shakur, a Black elder who has spent his life advocating for our community.

Comrade Alyssa
Alyssa is a Black trans woman who has been incarcerated in Maryland for more than a decade. She’s a writer and an avid reader, with books serving as her only company while she is regularly faced with solitary confinement, especially during the pandemic. Her pen pal and friend has become her advocate outside of prison, fundraising for Alyssa to receive more books and other support that she needs. Donate to support this fund now and provide Alyssa with what is needed to sustain her during her incarceration.

We will one day tear down the cages that have held our comrades for so long. But for now, we will do all we can to ensure our love and support help sustain them in this fight. Join us in bringing them love. Join us in bringing them justice.

In solidarity,
Movement for Black Lives

Free the Land MXGM

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