This week, Alicia Keys’ We Are Here Movement is putting a spotlight on EJI’s work challenging racial injustice and mass incarceration with a social media and public education campaign.
Ms. Keys started the We Are Here Movement to provide her 35 million fans on Facebook and nearly 20 million followers on Twitter with a way to get engaged and do something about social justice issues. This week, Ms. Keys is encouraging her fans to support EJI’s efforts to confront mass incarceration.
America’s prison population has skyrocketed from 300,000 to 2.3 million in the past 40 years. The United States incarcerates more of its citizens than any other country, and it is the only nation in the world that condemns children to die in prison. On any given day in America, some 10,000 children are housed in adult jails and prisons, where they are up to five times more likely to be sexually assaulted and face increased risk of suicide.
EJI confronts racial injustice and challenges mass incarceration through education, outreach, and legal advocacy. We recently won major decisions from the United States Supreme Court protecting children from automatic life-without-parole sentences, and we are working to end the adult prosecution of children under 14. EJI believes no child should be incarcerated with adults and is fighting for a ban on the confinement of children in adult jails and prisons.