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Algunas partes de esta página se generan automáticamente y podrían contener errores menores. Se recomienda usar el juicio crítico al interactuar con ella.
JLUSA leaders in Tennessee, Dawn Harrington (Leading with Conviction™ 2017) and Keeda Haynes (Leading with Conviction™ 2022), write this week:
“The echoes of grieving families and fearful voices demanding gun reform should be etched in your memory after the Tennessee General Assembly’s special session on public safety. Countless lives have been lost to gun violence and reform is urgent. However, our legislators have remained complacent, failing to take measures to address this crisis.
“The ‘Vote them out’ chants from the galleys and halls of the legislature were loud, as they should have been. However, in order to do that, we must first grapple with the injustice of voter suppression, particularly felony disenfranchisement.
Our state is No. 1 in the country for felony disenfranchisement of Black and Latinx voters
“Tennessee denies over 471,000 individuals, who are our family, friends and neighbors, their right to vote because of a felony conviction on their record. Our state is No. 1 in the country for felony disenfranchisement of Black and Latinx voters, and No. 2 for felony disenfranchisement overall in the entire country. Under guidance issued by Secretary of State Tre Hargett that made an already convoluted voting rights restoration process even worse, felony disenfranchisement continues to be an affront to our democratic values.
“Fortunately, there are tangible steps that can be taken to rectify this injustice and ensure our democracy includes everyone and truly represents the will of the people. Next session, when legislation is introduced to restore voting rights, Tennesseans should contact their lawmakers and ask them to support it. Additionally, Gov. Bill Lee has the power to restore voting rights by using his executive power, and he should be called upon very loudly to do so.
“Many states across the country have enacted voting rights restoration laws. Tennessee should follow suit and make bold moves that address felony disenfranchisement.”
In our 10th anniversary year, JustLeadershipUSA’s work of educating, elevating, and empowering justice-impacted leaders continues and is growing even stronger!
This is going to be a very special time to look back on the past decade of JLUSA’s important work, the 1,600+ leaders we have helped get to the next level in their work, and even more importantly, we will look ahead to the next 10 years and beyond!
We can’t do this without you. We need your support to help us continue to do this work now and into the future. By making a donation in honor of JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, you are saying to the amazing leaders in our network who represent the 70+ million Americans who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, “I see you, and I support you!”
Please give a one-time $100 gift or set up a recurring $10 monthly donation to celebrate JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, and together we will build a fair and just U.S. Thank you!
Mail that includes checks only:
JUSTLEADERSHIPUSA, INC
P.O. Box 23681
New York, NY 10087-3681
All other mail:
P.O. Box 1730, New York, NY 10037
347.454.2195
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JustLeadershipUSA is a non-partisan organization. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed belong solely to the individual author or speaker, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the organization.
Since 2014, JustLeadershipUSA has maintained our commitment to ensuring systems-impacted voices are at the forefront of the movement for criminal legal reform, empowering directly impacted leaders in over 45 states with the tools, resources, and connections to transform their work.
Your donation will provide crucial support for our leadership training programs, empowering future generations of leaders and propelling the work of JLUSA and our alumni as we continue to advocate and push reform on issues that matter the most in our communities.
In just 10 years, JLUSA and our network of leaders have worked to dismantle decades of harm caused by the criminal legal system.