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A New Way of Life

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Featured

The Enduring Legacy of Juneteenth

June 19, 2022 by Robert Mejia

Today, June 19, 2022, marks the first anniversary of Juneteenth as a national holiday. In actuality, Juneteenth celebrations have occurred for over 150 years, with the first celebration occurring in 1866. The date of June 19, 2022, or Juneteenth, was chosen as it marked the anniversary of when a group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally learned that they were free from the institution of slavery. In 2021, after decades of organizing, political and community leaders were finally successful in passing legislation to commemorate Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

That it took decades of petitioning and proposing legislation before Juneteenth would be recognized as a federal holiday speaks directly to the twin objectives of the commemoration: to celebrate the freedom won by African Americans and to remember our nation’s broken promises. Indeed, though most Americans believe that slavery ended in 1862 with the emancipation proclamation, the official end of the Civil War (April 9, 1865), or the ratification of the 13th Amendment (December 6, 1865), slavery continued to be practiced well-after those dates, and in fact remains constitutionally legal as a punishment for crime.

As the Vera Institute writes, “until the mid-1950s, states routinely forced chain gangs of imprisoned people to do public works projects while wearing chains weighing as much as 20 pounds.” Even today, “private companies and governments extract nearly free labor from incarcerated people—who are employed to do everything from building office furniture and making hand sanitizer to staffing call centers and performing 3D modeling—in most cases for pennies an hour. In California, incarcerated people battle fires in 24-hour shifts for as little as $2.90 a day.”

Now, as then, Black activists, political leaders, and anti-racist allies celebrate Juneteenth in recognition of the enduring spirit and inalienable humanity of African Americans. Freedom was not given to Blacks; freedom had been fought for and won by Blacks. From the very beginning of the arrival of the first Black slaves in the United States in 1619, African Americans have resisted the atrocities afflicted upon their inalienable dignity and fought for their freedom. Slave rebellions occurred on a regular basis and during the Civil War close to 200,000 Black men enlisted in the fight. It is historically inaccurate and a dishonor to the work of past and present Black activists, political leaders, and anti-racist allies to suggest that a freedom which has continually been denied, restricted, and conditional was given to African Americans.

As we celebrate this year’s Juneteenth, we ask that you honor and support the ongoing work of Black-led nonprofits and organizations committed to ensuring the freedom and well-being of Black communities. African Americans “are incarcerated at nearly five times the rate of whites” and one in five “are experiencing poverty for the third generation in a row, compared to just one in a hundred white Americans.”

For over two decades, A New Way of Life has been working to directly confront these systemic barriers to the life and liberty of the African American community. We have provided housing to hundreds of formerly incarcerated Black women, provided pro bono legal services to thousands of African American community members with conviction histories, and helped reunite hundreds of Black parents with their children. None of this would be possible without your support. Thank you.

Filed Under: Blog, Featured

Behind the Scenes: Testif-i

May 24, 2022 by Bonnie Amos

Testif-i | Storytelling for Change is a multimedia initiative from A New Way of Life Reentry Project that aims to transform the public dialogue on mass incarceration through storytelling, and the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated individuals.

On Friday, May 20th, filming for the next installment of Testif-i began with Terri and Moonlight, two residents at A New Way of Life. Terri and Moonlight are two individuals chosen to share their stories as a way to heal from their past and bring awareness to specific issues surrounding the criminal justice system.

As a child, Terri experienced abuse from trusted caregivers and was charged with kidnapping in an attempt to get themselves and another child away. This event was the beginning of Terri’s involvement with the criminal justice system. In 1977, Terri was sentenced to seven years to Life and served 44 years. While incarcerated, the staff would tell Terri, “You’re going to die here”. 

Terri became complacent and was tired of going to the board to be told no. A parole board is a panel of people who decide whether an offender should be released from prison on parole after serving a minimum portion of their sentence. Before going to board, Terri saw a friend on TV talking about A New Way of Life Reentry Project and it gave them hope. 

Their first day out was terrifying, “I was so scared that day…!” Society has minimal resources for the formerly incarcerated and even less for formerly incarcerated senior citizens. A New Way of Life has offered Terri a home and other resources necessary to their reentry success. In the future, Terri hopes to support systems-impacted youth by helping them learn skills so they can lead self-sufficient lives.  

After Moonlight was released in 1985, they struggled to find reentry services and resources. Moonlight cycled in and out of incarceration—after years of this, Moonlight found themselves with a life sentence. Moonlight was sent to a prison far from her children and family—no one was able to visit, and she rarely received phone calls. For years, Moonlight asked to be transferred closer to family and was told no time after time. Being away from their family felt like double punishment. After 26 years, Moonlight knew she wanted a different life and found A New Way of Life Reentry Project. Moonlight refers to the program as a blessing for supporting their transition back into society.

To hear Terri and Moonlight’s stories and others, follow our social media accounts to get updates about the video vignettes that will be released sometime this year.

 

Filed Under: Featured, General

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  • About
    • What We Do
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  • Services
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