
It’s Time To Listen To Black Disabled People
As we reflect on the past 30 years and honor those who fought for the American with Disabilities Act, we need to go further and completely overhaul the way society perceives and treats disabled people.

ESSENCE Presents: COVID-19 And Mass Incarceration
For Part II of our ESSENCE Reports three-part series COVID-19's Impact on Black Communities, we take a close look at the history of the prison industrial complex and how this nation's addiction to punishment is killing people.

Louisiana Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Case Of Man Serving Life For Allegedly Stealing Hedge Clippers
In a lone dissent, the only Black justice wrote a blistering rebuke of the court's decision.

As We Struggle To Stay Connected, Prison Calls Must Be Free
This Mother’s Day, Black women, whose history has been punctured by vulgar state policies that took their children, from slavery to police violence to mass incarceration, are risking their lives to stay close to their babies.

Philly Activists Stop Traffic To Demand Release Of Incarcerated People Amid COVID-19 Crisis
Philadelphia activists are making sure that incarcerated individuals aren't forgotten during the coronavirus pandemic.

Abandoned Populations: The Moral Case For Freeing Incarcerated People In The Face Of COVID-19
Given the nature of mass incarceration and detention in the United States, it is nearly impossible to practice social distancing.

More Than 400 Incarcerated People Freed From Oklahoma Prisons On Same Day
The Oklahoma governor's office is calling the release of 462 incarcerated people on Monday the largest single-day commutation in U.S. history.

NBC's Lester Holt Brings Prison Life To Prime Time
ESSENCE sat down with the NBC Nightly News Anchor to discuss his upcoming Dateline special that explores life behind bars.

Why Is There A Bar Called "Prizon?"
Apparently having a prison-themed bar is all the rage. Watch The Overexplainer react to this foolishness.

Danielle Metz, Woman Granted Clemency By President Obama, Speaks At 2019 Essence Festival
Danielle Metz, 50, was locked in a cage and sentenced to die in prison; instead, she’s free and maintaining a 3.75 GPA at Southern University of New Orleans.

Ava DuVernay Set Donald Trump Straight After He Pretended To Have Amnesia About His Part In The 1994 Crime Bill
Donald Trump may not have voted for the bill that disproportionately affected African-American communities, but he helped it come to pass.

Exclusive Preview: Ava DuVernay Sits Down With Lester Holt To Discuss New Series Portraying Life After Incarceration
In a segment airing on NBC Nightly News, Ava DuVernay opens up to Lester Holt about her work with the men dubbed "The Central Park 5" and what it means to chronicle their story from boys to men.
'Finding Justice' on BET: A Conversation with Executive Producer dream hampton
Finding Justice, a six-part docu-series that takes a deep dive into the mass criminalization of Black America, premieres Sunday, March 10 at 8 p.m./7 p.m. CT on BET.

Cory Booker Grills Attorney General Nominee William Barr On Racism In The Criminal Justice System
Cory Booker came prepared to press attorney general nominee William Barr on his views on mass incarceration and racism in the criminal justice system.

Detroit Activist Siwatu-Salama Ra Wants To End The Slavery Tactics Used On Pregnant Women In Prison
Dream Hampton writes about the case of Siwatu-Salama Ra, a Detroit environmental activist who gave birth in prison, who now wants to end the brutal birthing practices prisons across the country use with pregnant inmates.