National Gathering of Formerly Incarcerated Organizers!!
Recently, many PDF grantees and friends working in the field of criminal justice organized a national gathering of formerly incarcerated people. This historic gathering took place in Selma, Alabama, timed to coincide with the 46th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday March.
Over the past several years, we have seen a growth in the number of organization led by those most impacted by the prison industrial complex – men and women who have experienced incarceration first hand, and are now active as leaders for a national wide movement for reform. The goal of this national gathering was to bring those organizations together to continue to strengthen the relationships and the coordinated strategy of this important movement.
In the words of one of the organizers, "Our experiences lead us to believe that this is the time to organize for a national convening. We believe a national convening of formerly-incarcerated people
-is essential in efforts to build a movement to dismantle the prison industrial complex and end the drug war
-will include hundreds, if not thousands, of formerly-incarcerated people and our allies
-will express a national agenda that articulates a civil rights and human rights agenda for the 21st century
-will take time to build – perhaps a year or more – and require significant effort and resources to do it right
-will only come about if a committed group of formerly-incarcerated people – a leadership core – from around the country, and reflective of and accountable to our diverse communities, is drawn together to develop objectives, an agenda, and a course of action."
PDF was honored to have supported this convening.Please click the image below for local media coverage of the gathering from the Montgomery Advertiser, and make sure to check out some of PDF’s grantees that played participated in this gathering.
