For several years, the Christian Community Development Conference has held a national prayer and advocacy day, called “Locked in Solidarity,” to highlight the injustice of mass incarceration. It is a day when their member and participating organizations hold events and prayer vigils to share lament, hope, and stories as they seek a response to the broken criminal justice system.
This year, EJUSA stands with CCDA for Locked In Solidarity 2016. We see this as an important opportunity for religious communities to reflect on their role in reimagining and reforming criminal justice and to give individuals an opportunity to take meaningful actions.
We will be updating this post with information about Locked In Solidarity events around the country, and we will also be posting updates to our Twitter feed, using #LockedInSolidarity.
Here is a short reflection from Heather Beaudoin, who directs evangelical outreach for EJUSA, about the importance of this event:
I am thrilled to see that CCDA is lifting up criminal justice issues and mass incarceration. I pray that the Locked in Solidarity events around the country will bring to light the struggles that so many of our brothers and sisters have been facing. As Christians, we must respond. Our criminal justice system is riddled with injustice, and we cannot stand idly by and watch as lives are broken and families fall apart.
There is much work to do, but I remain hopeful. I am hopeful because of the incredible work of organizations like CCDA. Let us continue to join forces to work to make our criminal justice system a system that works for everyone. Let us rise up and raise our voices to make change. For as it says in Proverbs 37:8-9, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all whoa re destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
