2 Ways You Can Make a Difference in Black August

Black August is a season to reflect on the inequitable treatment of African Americans in the criminal justice system, a major driver of hunger and poverty in the United States.

“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison…” (Hebrews 13:3)

This August also marks the 400-year anniversary of when enslaved African peoples came from Angola to Jamestown, Virginia. This legacy of enslavement not only institutionalized hunger, malnutrition and poverty among Africans and their descendants, but also contributed to the disproportionate number of African Americans represented in our U.S. prison system today.

During Bread’s 2019 Advocacy Summit, Pan African faith leaders met from across the country to prayerfully reflect on the lament and hope of African peoples globally. We discussed the legacy of enslavement and its relationship to racism and mass incarceration in the United States. I was honored to speak and lift the importance of addressing this legacy, racism, and criminal justice to effectively end hunger and poverty in the U.S.

Here are two ways you can make an impact this month:

Watch this one-minute video to learn about the connection between slavery, racism, mass incarceration, and hunger and share it with your network on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe to an email series in August that will explore the connection further and provide specific actions you can take with Congress to reform our broken criminal justice system.

Thank you for honoring Black August with thousands of Bread for the World members across the United States.

Stay blessed,

Dr. Iva Carruthers

Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, Bread for the World