Its state legislature routinely makes national news for being amongst the most regressive in the nation. Oklahoma made headlines this year for being the first state in the country to pass a near-total ban on abortion. To counteract the powerful forces of white supremacy and segregation still at play in the state, a deep, sustained, and year-round effort is needed to engage young, Black voters, activate sporadic voters ( particularly those in rural areas that have lost faith ), and to implement long-term strategic persuasion campaigns aimed at shifting moveable white voters around a more progressive future. But more resources are needed to overcome generations of racial disenfranchisement and build equitable power for all residents. With this in mind, local leaders have built on Mississippi's historic tradition of organizing and advocacy, working over the last five years to create critical infrastructure, develop voter engagement strategies and expand data capacity. But there are signs of hope for growing progressive power in the electorate - as evidenced last cycle when voters overwhelmingly passed progressive ballot initiatives to remove the Confederate flag from its state flag and legalize medical marijuana. Today, the legacy of Jim Crow echoes through the politics, public policy, and lived experience of residents in this still deeply segregated state. Sustained organizing is needed to engage likely voters, listen, and build trust.įor all of modern history, Mississippi has been the epicenter of some of our nation's most consequential fights for voting rights, racial justice and democracy itself. Nevertheless there are signs of real opportunity and hope for the road ahead including demographic shifts, a broad base of likely voters committed to a more progressive future, and a vibrant, multi-racial coalition of 501c3 and 501c4 organizations and local political leaders working creatively and collaboratively to execute a long-term plan to undo conservative dominance in the state. ![]() ![]() They've used this power with reckless abandon in recent years, imposing myriad voter suppression tactics, a near-total ban on abortions, and a transgender athlete ban. Reckoning with this juxtaposition offers a path to durable power-building and progress over the next ten years.īeginning with the infamous "Southern Strategy" of the 1960s, the conservative movement executed a successful effort to wrestle near-complete political control in Alabama at the local, state, and federal level. She described a man with hair, but Jones’ head was shaved at the time.Alabama's rich political history features some of the most history-changing local organizing of the Civil Rights Era - and some of our nation's most stark setbacks to justice and equity in the form of white supremacy. Moreover, there was only one eyewitness to the crime and her description of the killer doesn’t match Jones. Jones himself was not called to testify on his own behalf either. However, Jones’ trial lawyers did not call his family to present this alibi at his original trial. Stitt has yet to sign the recommendation, despite some serious doubts about Jones’ guilt.Īt the time of Howell’s murder, Jones’ parents and sister say he was having dinner with them at his home. Kevin Stitt was sent a recommendation from Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board, which voted 3-1 in favor of clemency. Kardashian West has entered a late stage act of her career as a justice system reform advocate, and she’s visited Jones in prison to learn more details of his case and join his quest for clemency.Īs of this writing, Jones is still scheduled be executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma on Thursday, November 18. He was 19 when he was convicted and sent to death row, and has spent the last two decades saying he had no part in the killing of a Oklahoma businessman named Paul Howell, and his fight has won him some high profile allies like Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, Trae Young and, notably, Kim Kardashian West. ![]() ![]() Julius Jones has spent nearly 20 years behind bars for the 1999 murder of a man he says he didn’t kill.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |