UPCOMING EVENTS

Please see events that we are hosting as well as those our collaboartive partners are hosting.

To request a speaker or schedule a screening of Chapter Lead's, Waleisah Wilson's film "Working in Captivity: A Woman's Quest to End Slavery in Georgia" or chapter member's page Dukes film "Until We all Count", visit our Host A Sceening Or Request a Speaker Page.

4/8/25. Talk Justice Tuesdays. Virtual. 6.30pm. EST.

Join the Justice Reform Partnership (JRP) on April 8th at 6pm EST for the last of their free and virtual Talk Justice Tuesday series  to discuss specific criminal legal policy questions and hear from community members, advocates, and lawmakers about opportunities for reform in 2025 and beyond. April 8th's discussion will be on avoiding burnout, surviving triumph and will discuss how can advocates can remain healthy, whole and committed within this very difficult work and explore ways advocates can protect our wellbeing and remain effective. Register to receive the zoom info at https://justicereformpartnership.org/tjt/

Past Events

3/11/25- Post Crossover Review

Crossover day was on March 6th. Crossover day is where after a bill passes the chamber where it originates, it must then go to the other chamber for another vote. The other chamber typically makes changes to the bill and adds their own amendments. If a bill is approved by the second chamber but with changes, then the original chamber has to accept those changes. Once both chambers agree on the same version of a bill, it’s sent to the governor to be signed into law.  If you missed the call hosted by Justice Reform Partnership and our policy partners to learn what good and bad bills crossed over that may become law and how you can advocate to support or oppose them, watch the recording here.

3/10/25. 12:30pm. End Mass Incarceration GA Network General Meeting - Prison Slavery- Special Hybrid Session

On March 10th, EMI Georgia Network held their monthly meeting to further discuss advocacy efforts on amplyfying Georgia's awful history of convict leasing and it's ever prresent use in Georgia, even today. At the meeting, they welcomed the Chrysalis Lab and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights' Truth + Transformation division who presented an overview of a groundbreaking project emphasizing the legacy of prison labor and the efforts to end captive/slave labor in Georgia. If you will recall, in September 2024, EMI GA Network hosted an introduction of our chapter to the community that featured a screening of our chapter lead, Waleisah Wilson-Menefee's film "Working in Captivity: A Woman’s Quest to End Slavery in Georgia." and a panel discussion. 

EMI GA's, our #endslaveryinGA campaign and the work of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and Chrysalis Lab uniquely promotes the collective work to tell the stories that need telling and reform Georgia's prison system so please attend their virtual monthly meetings that are held on the 2nd Monday at 1pm. To get zoom log in info or to get signed up on their email list, complete their contact  form or email them at emiganetwork@gmail.com.

2/25/25. Justice Day at the Capitol. 8:30a-3p. Atlanta.

If you missed the 14th Annual Justice Day at the Capitol event hosted by the Justice Reform Partnership (JRP) on 2/25/25 in Atlanta, to connect with justice reform advocates, hear informative panels, attend engaging workshops, learn about pending good and bad laws or go to the capitol to speak with your legislator, you can watch the recap on YouTube here and you can access all of the slides and handouts (including ours that gave more in depth details on modern day slavey in Georgia, it's roots and how you can support our campaign) at justicereformpartnership.org/justicedayresources. To see photos from the event, visit the gallery.

Video Highlights:

• :15- Welcome & Grounding Remarks- Southern Center & SPLC
• 25:40 Overview of good and bad Pending Legislation & How to speak with your legislator Advocacy Training (to see the list of bills, find your legislators, to see how to schedule a meeting with your legislator and to see a sample script, click here.)
• 1:04:53- roleplay of how to interact with legislators & preparing to go to the Capitol
• 1:15:57- film screening of our chapter lead's Waleisah Wilson-Menefee's film "Working in Captivity: A Woman's Quest to End Slavery in GA" and panel discussion with Waleisah and chapter member, Luci Harrell, about our campaign to end prison slave labor in Georgia  (see more info on the campaign and ourJustice Day  handout here)
• 2:02:19- Youth Justice Skit & Panel (Deep Center of Savannah)
• 2:25:30 Honoring the Noah Bush Family (see news article links below)
• 2:40:18 More Than a Number: Advocating for Parole for an Incarcerated loved one (Women on the Rise) 
• 3:12:08 Advocating for institutional care and safety of a loved one (medical, rape solitary confinement, LGBTQ safety, key people to contact at GDOC and advocacy tips) by NewLife-Second Chance (see the NL-SCO handout here)
• 3:17:50 Closing Speaker & Farewell with Representative Tanya Miller 

LINKS

Complete the Justice Day 2025 Attendee feedback form here, see the agenda and all resources and slides at https://justicereformpartnership.org/justiceday/

Noah Bush articles:

• What Happened to Noah Bush? Chilling admission by juvenile reveals how 8-year-old Jesup boy died
• YouTube video. Jesup, GA. Georgia tragedy raises questions about justice for child killers
•  2 children sentenced for intentional drowning death of boy that attorney says was racially motivated 
  

On November 14, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division released its findings, uncovering widespread human rights abuses at Atlanta's Fulton County Jail. In response, the County has remained silent about next steps and has not sought public input on the future of the FCJ. Theerfore, Southern Center for Human Rights hosted several virtual and in oerson listening sessions to break down the DOJ report, take testimony from individuals formerly incarcerated at the Fulton Co. Jail and compiled feedback to give recommendations to  elected officials.

• To see photos from the People's Process events, visit the gallery.
• Read the DOJ's Press Release- Justice Department Finds Conditions at Fulton County Jail in Georgia Violate the Constitution and Federal Law
• Read the DOJ's Report of Violations Found
  

2/11/25. 6p-8p. EST. Zoom. Talk Justice Tuesday "Caught In-Between: Youth and the Criminalization of Immigration". Hosted by Justice Reform Partnership.

On Feb. 11, 2025, the Justice Reform Partnership hosted a virtual webinar featuring criminal, juvenile, and immigration legal advocates where they discussed current threats of deportation and crack downs on immigration. You can watch the recording here.

1/29/25- Chapter Co-Lead Speaks at People's Process Assembly at Ebenezer Baptist Church

On Wednesday, the 29th, as a part of our partnership with the People's Process Initiative, chapter co-lead, Shanequa, gave an arrived of the chapter, our work and support of exposing the abuse at the Fulton Co. Jail.



The People's Process is a community-centered initiative designed to generate recommendations to end the human rights abuses documented in the Department of Justice’s report on the Fulton County Jail.  To get involved by attending upcoming listening and feedback sessions or to give testimony, visit www.schr.org/PeoplesProcess

9/26/24. The Chapter Tabled at the "Vote In My Honor Rally" in ATL.

On Saturday, October 26th, the chapter joined the Rights Restoration Coalition of Georgia for a FREE “Vote In My Honor” Rally in Atlanta at the Dunbar Center to educate attendees on their voting rights, how they can vote in honor of someone who can't and how they  can connect with justice impacted/formerly incarcerated folk and allies doing the work to restore voting rights to Georgians on probation and parole! Attendees enjoyed food and watched a screening of chapter member's,  Page Dukes's short documentary film, Until We All Count.

9/22/24- EMI Coalition Hosts Screening & Discussion of "Working in Captivity: A Woman's Quest to End Slavery in Georgia". Atlanta.

September 22, 2024. 2p-4p. Atlanta, GA. On Sunday, September 22, 2024 from 2p-4p, EMI GA Network hosted a FREE in-person screening and discussion of Working in Captivity: A Woman's Quest to End Slavery in Georgia by filmmaker (and our chapter lead) Waleisah Wilson. We are currently campaigning to demand that Georgia change its current law that legalizes slavery for people who are convicted of a crime via incarceration and/or probation. Waleisah spoke on why she made the film and the importance of why Georgia needs to end prison slavery and how Georgia voters, especially the faith community can support our #endslaveryinGA campain which aims to amend the State's constitution that currently legalizes slavery for those convicted of a crime. She highlighted how this harms communities and impacts the economy as it takes away paying jobs from members of the community. Yoiu can learn more about Georgia's history and dependency on slavery here and you can sign our petition to #endSlaveryinGA at https://www.change.org/EndSlaveryInGA.

Liberation Tour Stop 2: Atlanta, GA. 5/30/23 at 5:30pm. (Hapeville)

Atlanta is home to the infamous Chattahoochee Brick Co. where its labor was performed by the free labor of primarily black people (men, women and children) who had been arrested for petty crimes (if any crimes at all). These workers were severely abused and many of them perished at the factory. This leads people to believe that there are graves there, as there is a cemetery on the property. (source: The Grisly History of the Chattahoochee Brick Company).

Incarcerated women were doubly burdened, performing domestic duties in prison camps and in the homes of white families in addition to strenuous manual labor alongside incarcerated men.  Even while performing demanding and dangerous tasks like breaking rock, shoveling and hauling wet clay, and baking brick near extremely hot kilns, incarcerated women were expected to wear “female clothing" and often subjected to sexual assault on a daily basis. Georgia was not only one of the first states to exploit the labor of incarcerated women for railroad construction; it also built the first all-female work camp in 1885 in Atlanta where the wome were required to make the 40,000 odd bricks used to build the adjacent Fulton County Almshouse. In another female camp, the Bolton Broom Factory, women produced brooms. The number of incarcerated Black women far surpassed the number of incarcerated white women. While large numbers of Black men were arrested for vagrancy, many Black women were charged with minor offenses such as arguing or using profane language in public. (source: Women in Convict Camps)

The city of Atlanta, which recently purchased the land that the Chattahoochee Brick Company sat on to "honor and comemorate the lives lost there" claims to be "Moving Atlanta Forward" and has an "Invest Atlanta" program that claims to create equity and prosperity for ALL of Atlanta. However, the city ACTIVELY exploits currently incarcerated people through slavery and forgets that people incarcerated in its city and state that calls Atlanta home (and their families) also deserve equity and the opportunity to prosper. However, the city prefers to support a practice that causes more harm to a large number of its population that are not only denied housing but are discriminated against in employment by the very same businesses, including the city and state, that they worked for years and decades for free but are denied once released!

Georgia's continued use of slavery harms communities, especially Black communities, as its Black citizens are disproportionately subjected to arrest, incarceration and longer sentences that subject them to being slaves, contributes to unemployment of newly released individuals as well as people on the outside who are denied these jobs for a wage, stifles economic growth and incarcerating people costs Georgia taxpayers over $1 billion dollars annually! WE DON'T NEED TO USE SLAVERY TO BE ECONOMICALLY PRODUCTIVE, TO PUNISH OR TO "TEACH" SKILLS. The city of South Fulton proves that by NOT using slave labor!

Panelists:

• Waleisah Wilson, AOUON GA Chapter Lead, Activist & Filmmaker of "Working in Captivity: A Woman's Quest to End Slavery in GA"
• Jessica Umberger- Formerly Incarcerated Community Leader & Advocate (featured in film)
• Robyn Hasan, Executive Director of Women on the Rise & National Leader
• Donna Stephens- Founder and Chair of the Chattahoochee Brick Company Descendants Coalition

Moderator: Chantaye McLaughlin, AOUONGA chapter member and entrepreneur

Light Refreshments Sponsored by:  Women on the Rise

- To view photos from the Atlanta screening and discussion, visit the photo gallery