This Sunday is Juneteenth–the day when, 157 years ago, news of emancipation reached enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas. Gradually, the holiday became a day to celebrate the end of chattel slavery. However, we cannot forget that oppression and racism persist. Even today people are punished more harshly in our courts based on the color of their skin. Commemorate Juneteenth by taking action to support the Racial Justice Act for All (AB 256, Kalra) and confront racism for Californians impacted by racist convictions and sentencing.

Commemorate Juneteenth by passing the Racial Justice Act for All

Discrimination, both past and present, cannot be tolerated in our criminal courts. The Racial Justice Act for All will extend the protections of the California Racial Justice Act of 2020 (AB 2542, Kalra) to those who have already been harmed by convictions or sentences tainted by bias related to race, ethnicity, or national origin.

Urge your state senator to support AB256

California is one of the worst states in the U.S. for racial disparities in mass incarceration. In California, a Black man is over eight times more likely to be incarcerated than a white man. This is worse than former confederate states like Mississippi, which has a disparity of three to one, or Louisiana, which has a disparity of four to one. This is no accident. Since the end of slavery, our criminal legal system has evolved into systemic over-policing and over-incarceration of Black people. Now we must confront our racist history by passing the Racial Justice Act for All - tell your state senator to vote YES on the Racial Justice Act for All!