Alicia Keys Wants To Help End Racially Motivated Mass Incarceration With Viral Campaign & Petition

After running the TCS New York City Marathon in support of the Keep A Child Alive cause, the “Superwoman” singer announced on Friday (Nov. 20) that she would be taking on another challenge: mass incarceration. Keys, who has created her own social justice movement, titled “We Are Here” has decided to partner with prison reform group #cut50 — a group [that] wants to cut the prison population in half over 10 years — to bring audiences a new viral video campaign, which calls on both Congress and the White House to pass “meaningful” criminal justice reforms before the end of the year. The newly released campaign also is a call to action for alternatives to incarceration, including ” drug treatment and rehabilitation programs, as well as programs to help prisoners upon release,” according to PEOPLE…

[MadameNoire]

Ebony Reveals 70th Anniversary “Power To The (100) People” Cover

Today, Ebony Magazine unveiled its 70th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Cover, featuring celebrity-advocate favorites Jesse Williams, Harry Belafonte and Zendaya on the cover. The three stood with the captioned phrase “Stand For Something,” focusing on the issue’s theme of “advocacy, audacity and the arts.” The edition will also feature Ebony’s annual Power 100 list that is appropriately titled “Power (100) To The People.” Kendrick Lamar, Kwasi Enin, Prince, Adehnah Bayho and Amandla Stenberg were among the few who were highlighted as African-Americans who broke barriers in their respected career field for the year 2015. In a press release, Ebony’s editor-in-chief Kierna Mayo expressed her thoughts on the 70th-anniversary edition and Power 100 List, saying “…They represent outstanding examples of greatness, and provide hope and inspiration for the next generation.”

[MadameNoire]

Grand Jury Transcripts Of Eric Garner Trial Won’t Go Public

The Eric Garner case has slightly slowed in national momentum but has very much been a point of focus for the slain Staten Island man’s family and several advocacy groups. The Garner family and their supporters were struck with a blow on Monday when New York’s highest court ruled to keep the grand jury transcripts in the case sealed from public view… Last December, the grand jury in the case failed to indict Pantaleo, which ignited passionate protests throughout New York and several cities across the nation. As reported by the New York Times, the New York Court of Appeals wrote in a six-word ruling to seal the transcripts…

[HipHopWired]

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