Juneteenth Call to Action Against Prison Slavery Amidst Reports of Lockdowns, Strikes, Walkouts
The Gainesville chapter of the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC) and the Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons (FTP) have joined the call, initiated by prisoners in Florida and Texas, for actions demanding an end to mass incarceration and prison slavery around Juneteenth 2018, Tuesday, June 19.
Juneteenth is a celebration of the official end of chattel slavery in the United States. It marks the day when, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, news of freedom reached slaves in Texas.
Prisoners in Texas and Florida, many of whom have been at the forefront of the massive, prisoner-led movement to bring about desperately needed changes in the U.S. prison system are calling on allied groups fighting for prison reform “on the outside” to organize community events and direct actions in solidarity.