Whole Life Magazine

February/March 2020

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22 wholelifetimes.com POWER OF THE PEOPLE Continued from previous page The voting dates, systems, and locations have completely changed! Instead of the June Primary we've had for decades, California has been moved to March. This includes our Presidential Primary. Vote by Mail starting Feb 3, Early Voting begins Feb 22, and Election Day Super Tuesday is March 3. There will be Mobile Vote Centers and Pop-Up Vote Centers. We will have 11 days to vote and more than 1,200 well-vetted voting center drop-offs. Mobile device apps will be implemented, too. To learn more, visit lavote.net. Websites: WE GOT US NOW – A national movement built by, led by, and about children and young adults impacted by parental incarceration. wegotusnow.org COLOR OF CHANGE – Campaigns that end the practices of unfairly holding people of color back and championing solutions that move our society forward. Supported and co-founded by John Legend. colorofchange.org Information on the Civilian Oversight Commission for Los Angeles Jails. coc.lacounty.gov MEASURE R, REFORM LA JAILS – Humane mental health treatment, corrupt sheriff oversight, redirecting all cost savings to public priorities. Learn more and get involved. voteyesonr.org DIGNITY AND POWER NOW – Healing toolkits for all incarcerated people, their families, and communities. dignityandpowernow.org LA REENTRY – Collaborating for reentry success, legal support, jobs, events, faith communities, and partners. lareentry.org A NEW WAY OF LIFE – Reentry project provides housing, case management, pro- bono legal services for women rebuilding their lives after prison. anewwayoflife.org THE MARSHALL PROJECT – A curated collection of updated and authoritative articles reporting on criminal justice and injustice from around the web. Originated by John Legend. themarshallproject.org Books: When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir (2018) by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele The true story of three women whose life experiences led them to seek justice for those victimized by power. Their attempt to change the culture that declares black lives expendable. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (New edition 2020. Originally released 2010) by Michelle Alexander Civil rights litigator accounts the rebirth of the caste-like system in the U.S. resulting in millions of people of color being locked up and permanently denied their hard-won civil rights. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (2014) by Bryan Stevenson Now a feature film with the same title, the true story of civil rights defense attorney working to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner, shedding light on the racially biased and unfair criminal justice system. Redefining Black Power: Reflections on the State of Black America (2012) by Joanne Griffith (editor) Stories from the Pacifica Radio Archives in Berkeley sharing the black freedom movement from 1950 to the Obama Presidency. difference. A tangible act is to acknowl- edge our "people power" and vote YES on MEASURE R on March 3rd. By doing this, we're saying we have a stake in our community and in making it better. I believe that most citizens aren't aware of the punitive direction our legal system has taken, not to mention the astronom- ical price tag of the one billion dollar annual cost to jail too many L.A. residents. Until we stand up and say that we want our money going to schools, health care, renewable energy resources, and clean environments, none of this will change! A few of the endorsers have also been instrumental in bringing much-needed light to the Criminal "Injustice" System in many ways. Jane Fonda joined forces with Patrisse in the daunting task of collecting over 274,000 signatures needed to get MEASURE R on the ballot. When she returns to L.A. from D.C. where she's been arrested for civil disobedience for her Fire Drill Friday climate protests, she'll be actively supporting "R." John Legend has experience with the effects of the "system" in his community. Coming from a family of community leaders and activists, he learned at an early age the values of redemption and empathy. Along with his strong support for reforming the jail system, he also founded #FreeAmerica and has partnered with banks to create "The Unlocked Futures Fund" that finances startups for former inmates. It is so heartening to witness people from every corner of our society joining forces to change this Criminal "Injustice" System. It's truly about "we the people" taking a stand in a myriad of ways. We stand for what matters with music, storytelling, dancing in the streets, myth-busting, and voting. It does take all of us doing what's ours to do. We know that's the way consciousness shifts. Margaret Mead once famously said, "Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have." Perhaps we can be those people. We have an opportunity in this historic moment to hear Patrisse's call. Let's take a stand for a world that honors and values all of our lives equally. Let us imagine a world that protects our children and those yet to come. Here Ye! Here Ye! Rockin' Resources

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