Successful Campaigns

- Cultural Industry Emergence: The convergence of the prison-industrial complex and neoliberalism gave rise to the prison as a cultural industry. During the 1980s, state and private sector partnerships capitalized on draconian penal policies, leading to a proliferation of prisons and prison culture. - Entertainment Trends: Since the early 2000s, U.S. television has embraced incarceration as a theme for nonfiction entertainment. Programs like "60 Days In" leverage the enclosed spaces and disciplinary tactics of real-life prisons for dramatic storytelling. - Television Programming Landscape: Various reality-based law enforcement programs preceded the surge of prison-themed entertainment. Shows like "COPS" paved the way for a multitude of programs focused on incarceration, showcasing aspects of prison life to audiences. - The Premise of "60 Days In": The series introduces volunteers who undergo undercover imprisonment to gather intelligence on "crime and corruption" within the institution. Each season features a diverse cast, including activists, skeptics, and aspiring law enforcement professionals. - Incarceration as Entertainment: "60 Days In" transforms the harsh realities of prison life into captivating entertainment. While viewers are promised a glimpse into the stark realities of incarceration, the series also highlights the normalization of prison as a cultural phenomenon. - Prison Labor Exploitation: Incarcerated individuals serve as both setting and cast members for television productions, contributing to the profitability of the prison-industrial complex. Their unpaid labor generates value for both the prison and media companies. - Partnerships and Profit: TV production companies collaborate with penal institutions, benefiting from subsidized filming locations and access to prison resources. Strategic partnerships, such as with tech companies, further monetize the prison as a site for cultural production. - Involvement of Prison Officials: Prison officials play active roles in crafting and marketing reality television programs. They contribute to storyline development, monitor filming activities, and engage in promotional efforts to enhance the series' visibility and brand value. - Social Media Integration: "60 Days In" extends its reach through social media platforms, encouraging audience participation and interaction. Viewers become part of the narrative, contributing to the circulation of common-sense knowledge about incarceration. - Micro-Celebrity and Entrepreneurialism: Participants and prison officials capitalize on their involvement in the show, seeking increased visibility and career opportunities. Their engagement with social and digital media platforms aligns with the entrepreneurial logic of carceral capitalism. - Mutually Beneficial Participation: The promise of reality television offers participants the chance to leverage their media exposure for personal gain. For some, participation serves as a stepping stone to careers in law enforcement or corrections, reinforcing the narrative of self-enterprise under neoliberalism.

We won! Dr. Mutulu Shakur was released from prison December 16th.

On January 19, 2021, the City Council voted to change the former Jackson Park name to Chochenyo Park. The decision comes nearly three years after the initial 2018 request and a months-long community process in 2020. Four City Council members approved the name. Councilman Tony Daysog opposed. Alameda’s first park was named after President Andrew Jackson in 1909. In 2018, we petitioned to Rename Jackson Park because Andrew Jackson’s “oppression of African and Native American peoples. Chochenyo is the language of the local tribe of the indigenous Ohlone peoples. After the murder of George Floyd, Rename Jackson park reemerged and gathered over 1,000 additional signatures and pushed the Recreation and Parks Commission and City Council to dename the park. We also demanded an inclusive and transparent community-led effort “to rename the park to recognize the atrocities committed by President Andrew Jackson and bring justice and healing.” This spring, Alameda Recreation and Parks Department will install a new sign at Chochenyo Park and the City and Schools are exploring ways to uplift indigenous histories. http://renamejacksonpark.wordpress.com

The Mural was restored and on public view.

A&E canceled "Generation KKK".

We were able to secure funding to keep New Gen open!

Dear Friends, I wanted to share some good news in the midst of some truly challenging times. Thanks to you and more than 3000 others who joined our campaign last Summer, the Burning Man organization has started to take tangible steps to acknowledge and address the reality of its problem of whiteness and lack of diversity, with Black people only making up 1% of its participants. Last week ahead of the virtual Burning Man experience, which is now underway, the organization published a commitment to address it’s racial diversity, including anti-racism training for year-round staff and a commitment to increase BIPOC event access. While we’re loudly applauding their first step, we know that change requires vigilance and love--sometimes sweet and sometimes tough. And we’re here for it. We want Burning Man to be what we believe it can be. This is an important step for Burning Man and our community, and given Burning Man’s prominence, this action will have reverberations in the arts culture at large. We didn’t do this alone and aside from the petition effort, several Burners played key roles in bringing this to be. Part of what we did was provide a framework for concrete action, and we created the space for others to join this radical resistance. From staff members to theme camp leaders to long time white Burners, many heard our demands for equity and were inspired to act. For my camp, Que Viva Camp, a camp of BIPOC social justice activists, this is a welcome moment. We were on the ground last year at Burning Man organizing other camps around the issue of inclusion; we led a petition delivery on the Playa and shared our stories as Black and brown Burners; and we led the first major Black Lives Matter march at Burning Man and disrupted business as usual. You can hear our story in a radio podcast on KALW, a well known San Francisco Bay Area radio station available online at https://www.kalw.org/post/ep-09-black-lives-matter-meets-black-rock-city-burning-man#stream/0 , and if you miss it it will be available later in the archives. We created this campaign because we are committed to Black joy, and we believe that all cultural institutions must do more to include and welcome Black people. One of the founding principles of Burning Man is Radical Inclusion. But there can be no radical inclusion without racial inclusion. Black people have shaped the foundation of American culture and deserve to be included in the best of global culture. We know that the health of Black communities is not just defined by the things we don’t want, but also by the things we DO want. Black people deserve spaces for play, relaxation and exploration. With these actions, Burning Man has aligned itself to a future where cultural spaces are more accessible, welcoming and inclusive of Black people. Favianna, Marlon, Erica, Daniel and members of Que Viva Camp

Congratulations! Zaviona Woodruff was granted a full ride to Oakland U! Because of community support like yours, she was able to make her college dreams come true. https://fox17online.com/2018/07/30/oakland-u-gives-kalamazoo-graduate-tuition-grant-after-missing-out-on-promise/ Thank you, Color Of Change