Change Consulting IRL
This week, members of our team had the privilege of traveling to Sacramento to lead a messaging training session for the amazing folks of the Black Child Legacy Campaign. We are so grateful for the opportunity to share space with racial justice movement leaders like these — and with each other! Thanks to Sierra Health Foundation and Black Child Legacy Campaign for having us and more of this in 2023, please.
Client News
On Wednesday, Urban Peace Movement and the Free Our Kids Coalition convened activists, advocates, and youth leaders for a town hall to unveil a 10-point plan demanding that Alameda County end youth incarceration. The youth organizers called on county leaders to invest in caring and other forms of rehabilitation for youth, such as mental health care and diversion programs, not more punishment. The town hall gives young people “the opportunity to share their vision with the community system leaders and those that ultimately are going to make the decision on whether or not young people are in jail, or alternatives to their incarceration so they are able to become the best versions of themselves.” More at CBS News, SF Gate, KQED, and CBS Bay Area.
June Wilson, Executive Director of the Compton Foundation, recently co-facilitated a session called “Co-imagining a Reparative Economy” for Confluence. In order to imagine our economy moving from one of racialized capitalism to one rooted in inclusion, equity, and justice, the session fostered deep listening and creative dialogue — necessary elements in co-creating the emergent future, according to June. More at the Confluence blog.
“There’s something really special about the way that we can show up for each other and what a huge difference that can make in our lives.” Gina Clayton-Jonson, Founder and Executive Director of Essie Justice Group, recently spoke with ESSENCE about a rare occurrence: Terri “Imani” Turner, a Black woman and survivor of domestic violence, was released from jail after a judge ruled that the prosecution did not have probable cause to pursue the murder charges against Imani, who had been acting in self-defense. According to Gina, this remarkable outcome was only possible because the presiding judge, Chief Magistrate Judge Phinea Aten, and criminal defense attorney Tanya Miller are also Black women: “The judge understood that for Black women, domestic violence and the response to domestic violence looks different by our criminal justice system, and very often Black woman go unprotected.”
Despite this important win, Imani is still fighting for her continued freedom. Until District Attorney Alisha Johnson makes the commitment not to push for a grand jury indictment, Imani and her family continue to experience the uncertainty of what might happen next. Essie joined with The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, Barred Business, Metro Atlanta Participatory Defense Hub, and Free Atlanta Abolition Movement to call on DA Johnson to refrain from pursuing indictment of Imani “Terri” Turner given her commitment to domestic violence survivors. Add your name to the petition to #KeepImaniFree and protect Black women domestic violence survivors.
ICYMI
On March 21, Akonadi Foundation released their 2023 Racial Justice Poster entitled “We Infinite,” by Francis Mead. From Akonadi: “This year’s poster is a compelling tribute to the history and future we are all fighting for, from the reverence of ancient knowledge and the sacredness of land, to the bright spirit of children and Black and Indigenous cowboys and cowgirls.” Visit Akonadi online to learn more about the Racial Justice Poster Project.