What is the Equal Justice Initiative?
“The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.” (source: EJI)
I have been digging into and becoming more educated about the many issues confronting the BIPOC community and one organization that is doing important work is the Equal Justice Initiative. You may have heard of it, made famous by the recent movie, Just Mercy with Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. They are, everyday, putting their nose the grindstone, and helping people understand the great inequalities happening in our world today.
They now have over 150 people tirelessly working in the following areas:
Criminal Justice Reform: They work on behalf of those unjustly on death row, and providing adequate legal representation for those who can’t afford it. They work with children serving sentences and challenge abusive practices, and help children with they re-entry program to live successful and productive lives as adults. They also are tackling the conditions in prisons, which are often inhumane.
Racial Justice: They are working to educate the public by confronting the history of racial injustice in America, both past and present. They present the facts on lynchings, slavery, and segregation, so we can learn from the past and begin to make changes. They also have worked to enact memorials and present information to honor those who died in the past violence.
Museum and Memorial: They also run The Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and justice. They are powerful places that honor those who have died at the hands of racially motivated mobs and crimes, and allow people to investigate the legacy and history of racial injustice. Both are located in Montgomery AL, and I highly recommend visiting them if you are nearby, or taking a trip in that direction.
