Dear ACLU of Louisiana Community, 

This Black History Month, I’m thrilled to launch a new series, As the South Goes…, where I’ll share books, articles, and multimedia pieces by Black and Brown writers and content creators that inspire me to push forward as we pioneer a path to justice in the American South. If hope is a discipline, as Mariame Kaba argues, we should feed our souls and spirits with content that keeps our collective eye on the prize. I hope this series reverberates throughout the state, sparks new and heartfelt conversations, and empowers you to build models for change. I couldn’t be more excited to share this space with you.

W.E.B. Du Bois famously said, "as the South goes, so goes the nation." The American South remains the epicenter of the battle for freedom and equality in this country. In an effort to spotlight how our affiliate approaches the work of defending civil rights and the Constitution through the lens of racial justice, I'd like to draw your attention to an article written by Michelle Alexander -- author of the pivotal text, The New Jim Crow -- called "The Injustice of This Moment Is Not an Abberation." 

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I have never read a more cogent encapsulation of the urgent need for two of the primary campaigns that we at the ACLU of Louisiana have adopted: ending mass incarceration and the mass deportation and detention crisis. Both are central to dismantling white supremacy, which defined our nation at its inception, is deeply atomized in our democracy, and enjoys unmitigated favor in our modern political environment. For this reason, our calling to defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights must carry with it a corresponding duty to address racial and gender injustice in all its forms. 

At the ACLU of Louisiana, we refuse to shy away from the truth that the Constitution betrayed the ideals it so eloquently set forth. We stand firm in our commitment to grappling with the painful truth, stated powerfully by Michelle Alexander: "The land of the free was forged out of slavery and genocide." Of the countless vestiges of slavery and racial terror, mass incarceration and mass deportation of Black and Brown people have their exact metaphysical DNA. 

Our affiliate's work to dismantle these systems of racial and social control speaks to our deeper organizational guiding principles: 

  • We will be engineers for real social change.
  • We will be stewards of the liberatory process this country so desperately needs.
  • We will steep ourselves in a complete understanding of Louisiana and American history to free ourselves of bias and ignorance. 
  • We will utilize the tools at our disposal to construct a vigorous legal, legislative, and community-centered strategy dedicated to ending white supremacist policy, law, and belief.
  • Our work will reflect the ideals of peace, justice, and love.

"We will fight for an equitable Louisiana that upholds the humanity, dignity, and safety of all people and courageously acknowledges and endeavors to repair historical injustice." This year, we are more committed than ever to that mission statement. 

With love and gratitude,

Alanah