Defend our bail reforms

The historic and hard-won bail reform law passed in 2019 made New York's criminal system fairer, helped keep families together, and made long-overdue progress toward ending decades of racial bias in our system. It has also kept thousands of legally innocent people out of deadly jails like Rikers.

But just like last year and the year before that, our critical reforms are again under political threat. The campaign to rollback bail reform is fueled by a multi-million dollar initiative to drive up fear, peddle misinformation, and throw more New Yorkers behind bars simply for being unable to buy their freedom.

ADD YOUR NAME: Tell lawmakerse to defend our historic bail reforms against political fearmongering and calls to backtrack.

ADD YOUR NAME

Black Achievers of 2023

 

 ENJAN Members, 

We are very pleased to highlight that on Sunday, February 26th Isis Benitez will be receiving the Social Action Ministry's Black Achievers Award for 2023.  Other very deserving award recipients include Barrington Atkins, Stacey Bottoms, Ondie James and Myael Simpkins.  The awards ceremony will start at 4:00 pm at Beulah Baptist Church, 92 Catherine Street in Poughkeepsie.  We encourage everyone to turn out on the 26th to help honor these dedicated community leaders.  If you cannot attend in person, there is also a Zoom option.  Please see the attached flyer for more details.

CONGRATULATIONS ISIS!!!

Thank you, 

The ENJAN Curators

Chairperson of the African People’s Solidarity Committee

Activist Radio has the following guest on this week:

GUEST: Penny Hess, long time activist, organizer and chairperson of the African People’s Solidarity Committee, talks about how whites can support the struggles for national liberation being waged by African and other oppressed peoples.
https://apscuhuru.org/

Activist Radio can be heard: Thursdays 11-12 noon on WRFA 107.9 FM in Jamestown, NY; Thursdays 5-6 pm on WVKR 91.3 FM at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY; Thursdays from 7-8 pm on WBDY 99.5 FM at The Bundy in Binghamton, NY; Sundays 1:30-2:30 pm on WESU 88.1 FM at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT; Sundays 4-5 pm from WIOF 104.1 FM in Woodstock, NY; and Sundays 5-6 pm from the Progressive Radio Network at PRN.live. Past programs are available as a podcast, or anytime on the web at ClassWars.org.

 

Democracy Now on the Fight over Black History

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/2/3/crt_black_studies_roundtable

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Khalil Gibran Muhammad & E. Patrick Johnson

on the Fight over Black History

 

FEBRUARY 03, 2023

We host a roundtable with three leading Black scholars about the College Board’s decision to revise its curriculum for an Advanced Placement course in African American studies
after criticism from Republicans like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The revised curriculum removes Black Lives Matter, slavery reparations and queer theory as required topics, while it adds a section on Black conservatism. The College Board, the nonprofit organization that administers Advanced Placement courses across the country, denies that it buckled to political pressure. “Florida is a laboratory of fascism at this point,” says Khalil Gibran Muhammad, professor of history, race and public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. We also speak with two scholars whose writings are among those purged from the revised curriculum: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, professor of African American studies at Northwestern University, and E. Patrick Johnson, dean of Northwestern’s School of Communication and a pioneer in the formation of Black sexuality studies as a field of scholarship.

In solidarity with Tyre Nichols

Dear MECR friends,

On Saturday, February 4, New Paltz Women in Black will devote its vigil to Tyre Nichols, with the slogans: “End Police Terror,” and “Say His Name, Tyre Nichols.”

Please join us! Bring your signs, your flyers, your energy. Post the demonstration on your social media. We’ll have our announcement posted on the Women in Black FB page and the New Paltz Community Page.

We will gather in front of Elting Library, on the corner of Front and Main Streets, in New Paltz, at 12:30.

See you Saturday.

In solidarity,

Donna Goodman for Women in Black

NYCLU's 2023 priorities

 ENJAN Members

We wanted to reshare some information on NYCLU's 2023 priorities and initiatives that Shannon Wong shared with us during the December 14th ENJAN meeting.

Here are NYCLU's Legislative Priorities for 2023:

https://www.nyclu.org/en/nyclu-2023-legislative-priorities-snapshot

During the meeting Shannon spoke to us about the following:

Ending Police use of No Knock Warrants:

https://www.nyclu.org/en/legislation/legislative-memo-police-use-no-knock-warrants

Trans prisoner rights / The GIRDS Act:

https://www.nyclu.org/en/publications/protect-trans-new-yorkers-jails-and-prisons

13th Forward - Freedom for Forced Prison Labor:

https://13thforward.com/

ENJAN will continue to support these initiatives and the other work of NYCLU.  If you have any questions on these specific initiatives, feel free to email Brandon Holmes at bholmes@nyclu.org.

Thanks.

The ENJAN Curators

Thursday 2/16 at 6pm

For Black History Month Kingston 2023, The Library at the A.J. Williams- Myers African Roots Center, ENJAN (End the New Jim Crow Action Network) Kingston, and the YWCA Ulster County are going to host a screening of the documentary "The Interview" co-sponsored by RAPP (Releasing Aging People from Prisons)and the People's Campaign for Parole Justice. You can enjoy this impactful documentary and have some good conversations and Refreshments!!

A little bit about the film: "The Interview" asks viewers to confront their feelings about justice and mercy while revealing the heavy toll our current legal system takes on incarcerated people and their families. You can take a look at the flyer for more information or email isispascuala@gmail.com.

This event will take place Thursday 2/16 at 6pm at the Restorative Justice Center (733 Broadway Kingston, NY 12401). There will be a panel discussion to take place after the showing! 

 

This Event is FREE and Open to the Public. Please reserve your spot: https://bhmkingston2023arcywcaenjan.eventbrite.com or email me at isispascuala@gmail.com to reserve your spot. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Yours in Power,

- Isis Benitez