Mass incarceration and mass deportation are two of the many struggles that affect communities of color.

Ava DuVernay explored the intricacies of mass incarceration with her Netflix documentary
13th and conversations have heightened about mass deportation ever since Trump’s DACA decision.

In an effort to contribute to progress, Race Forward: The Center for Racial Justice Innovation has launched a new project, Mass Freedom. According to a Race Forward press release sent to Blavity, Mass Freedom “aims to bridge the movements fighting to end mass incarceration and mass deportation under a shared vision for a multiracial democracy.”

Mass Freedom was born following a conversation its founders had about Michelle Alexander’s critically acclaimed book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.

Alexander notes that Mass Freedom “aims to help us rise to the challenges we face.”

“By learning from our history and facing our future with open hearts, open minds, determination and courage, we can make America what it must become,” said the award-winning author.

“Mass criminalization is an assault on the humanity, safety, and fundamental rights of people of color,” noted Race Forward's president, Glenn Harris. “Our nation is facing an existential crisis as mass deportation and incarceration continue to ravage communities of color. Mass Freedom is our effort to come together, take action, and unite amidst a political landscape that grows more threatening with each day.”

A “better future” is what Race Forward sees with Mass Freedom, a future created by elevating the voices of the routinely voiceless: those that are most affected by mass criminalization.

By using the project’s platform, activists can share their stories, solutions and exchange resources.

"Our criminal justice and immigration enforcement systems are both rooted in a long history of systemic racism, slavery and the genocide of indigenous people," said Rosana Cruz, Race Forward's vice president of movement and capacity building. "The destructive presence of systemic racism in all of our lives links communities that don't always see how their futures are intertwined. With Mass Freedom we are hoping to further those futures towards a collective liberation."

Photo: GIPHY

To learn more about Mass Freedom’s mission and how you can take action, head to their website at MassFreedom.org.

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