I will remember this summer for many things, but three stand out: roller-coaster politics, the Olympics, and the heat. My goodness, the heat. When the heat won’t quit, I want to be in the water. I grew up not far from the ocean, learned to swim in a pool at a young age, grew comfortable…
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Leading from the back isn’t easy…especially when the voices upfront are powerful, dynamic, and fearless. Such was indeed the case in April when Will Simpson, EJUSA’s director of community safety and justice, had to ride behind the vortex of passionate progressive leadership that is Congresswoman Cori Bush, a brave survivor of homelessness who transcended her…
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On the morning of June 25, while attending the Giffords community violence intervention (CVI) conference, I along with several hundred other leaders, advocates, and practitioners heard the news that U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy had officially announced that gun violence is a public health crisis in our country. This was huge, a validation to so…
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Last weekend, a booming bass drum and blaring horns filled up the block where I live in Detroit, along with shouts of “No more silence, end gun violence”. It was an unusually hot June day, a marching band led the parade, and folks wearing orange held signs with the faces of loved ones. They were…
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Do you remember the 2015 Oscars? I’m guessing no, and that’s okay because that was forever ago. So I’ll remind you: all 20 acting nominations were for white people. For the second straight year! April Reign was, at the time, a media strategist active on Twitter. When she posted about the stunning absence of Black…
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I recently read a briefing from our allies at the Prison Policy Initiative, and it contained a startling figure: 19 million people in America are living with a felony conviction. That’s nearly equal to the entire population of New York. This reminded me of a friend. Her brother was once incarcerated. Since serving his sentence…
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I am honored to be elected as Chair of the EJUSA Board, an organization I have long admired. I was introduced to EJUSA many years ago through its work to end the death penalty, driving repeal campaigns in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and other parts of the country. I became more intimately familiar with…
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Lifelong justice strategist and advocate brings experience and passion to organization. (June 12, 2024) — Equal Justice USA announced today that Leonard Noisette will be the organization’s next board chair, effective immediately. He brings his decades of justice experience, strategic vision, and deep knowledge of financial scaling to EJUSA at a crucial juncture, as the…
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In the ongoing battle against systemic injustice grassroots leaders and social justice professionals are often at the forefront, tirelessly advocating for change. However, amidst the fight for equity and well-being, it’s crucial to emphasize mental health this May and every month for recovery and healing. Communities of color continue to be disproportionately affected by the…
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A few weeks ago, we shared some essential facts about misinformation and propaganda so that readers could recognize it as they see it. Today, we will discuss narratives that perpetuate harm against minority communities. In 1619, European traders kidnapped and enslaved the first of 12.5 million Africans. Those that survived the trans-Atlantic journey worked and…
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