In November and December, AFJ and a group of volunteers sent more than 100 gifts to children with incarcerated loved ones!

That’s not all - more than 1,000 holiday cards and dozens of eCards have been sent out to incarcerated clients, incarcerated loved ones, family members, supporters, volunteers, staff and more! 

Thank you to all of our volunteers, staff, and supporters who made this wonderful effort possible.

And a special thank you to our YEP youth leaders who spent their Saturday helping AFJ fill out holiday cards!

On the evening of September 15, 2016 the huge Temple space at the National Black Theatre of Harlem was filled to capacity with standing room only. Friends, supporters and curiosity seekers were gathered for the launch of Alliance of Families for Justice. Friends traveled from France, upstate New York, California, Washington, DC and beyond to lend their support and good wishes.

It was an exciting evening filled with performances, speeches, audio glitches, congratulations, donations and anticipation. There was no admission charged to attend. We joked with everyone in attendance telling them that they wouldn’t have to pay to come in, BUT they would have to pay to leave. We knew what we wanted to achieve. How we were going to do it with NO money, was a totally different question.

Aqirah Stanley has been an active member of Alliance of Families for Justice since January 2018. She started out as AFJ’s first Shirley Chisholm Fellow, and then became AFJ's project manager before stepping into her new role as Deputy Director.

Aqirah has been a passionate visionary and an asset to AFJ since day one, and she looks forward to continuing to create opportunities for AFJ to unite and empower directly-impacted families and friends, as well as allies and volunteers.

My name is Kenya D. Thorpe.  I have been a part of AFJ since the close of 2019.  This organization has given me a safe space to land when I fall and a hand to help me get back on my feet, fix my crown and continue to kick over the hurdles that have been placed to slow down our loved ones who are behind the walls. I work a full-time job with the state and have started a small business of my own, as well as putting out a small monthly newsletter, but I will not allow any of those things to get in the way of the work I do with AFJ. AFJ has become part of my family and I will not let them down.

Frantz Michel is an entrepreneur and criminal justice and juvenile justice reform activist. He serves as the Founder and Executive Director of Dream Deferred INC.; committed to launching programs for youth and young adults that minimize their risk for incarceration and prevent recidivism for those returning home.

Upon serving 15 years in prison, President Obama commuted his life sentence, giving Frantz the unique opportunity to begin anew and create the opportunities he saw a need for. Frantz has been featured as a speaker and panelist across the social impact space, including Columbia University and Fordham University.

On Sunday January 9th, the Alliance of Families for Justice and the growing coalition of directly impacted people and like-minded organizations, published a color ad in the Albany Times urging lawmakers to restore the right to ALL citizens in New York State, regardless of criminal history or current incarceration. 

If you’re interested in contacting your elected representatives regarding this issue, please reach out to Frantz@afj-ny.org. If you want to get involved with our voting rights campaign, join us on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm or reach out to aqirah@afj-ny.org for more information.

We have a great selection of AFJ t-shirts, hoodies, and tote bags available on our website! $10 flat rate shipping for each order. All proceeds go to support our work. Place your order today!

Our next circle for formerly incarcerated people will take place on Saturday February 19 at 1 pm!

This group is about “moving forward”, which is what songa mbele means in Swahili. The Circle will emphasize mindfulness approaches that can assist participants on a path to a healthy transition into the community. It will be facilitated by Yao-Obiora Dibia, and will occur monthly on the third Saturday of each month. Please see below for Zoom information. If you are formerly incarcerated, we hope you will attend! 

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/join

Enter Meeting ID: 825 5810 8249

For phone only: 646-876-9923

Enter: 82558108249# 

While we miss being able to gather in person, having our Family Empowerment Circle on Zoom every Tuesday evening has been a great way to stay connected, and has enabled families across the state to support one another. The circle takes place 6-8 pm every Tuesday and is facilitated by the one and only Yao Obiora Dibia! It is reserved for families with currently and formerly incarcerated loved ones, as well as formerly incarcerated people.

Please see below for Zoom meeting details. You can also click the button above at the scheduled meeting time to be taken directly to the meeting.

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/join

Enter Meeting ID: 841 0065 5340

For phone only: One tap mobile +1646-876-9923

Enter: 84100655340# 

We continue to meet weekly to strategize and mobilize to implement a humane, safe visitation plan in NYS prisons. We are also addressing universal access to vaccinations for incarcerated people, as well as the need to release as many people from custody as possible. If you are concerned about visitation, and COVID in prisons and jails, please attend! 

There are ample opportunities to engage in a wide variety of strategies. If you are unable to attend Thursday but you want to get involved, please email aqirah@afj-ny.org.

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/join

Enter Meeting ID: 851 6657 8595

For phone only: 646-876-9923

Enter:85166578595#