JustUs Monologues: Stories that Inspire Action
The WDN community recently heard the powerful stories of Brandon Wainright, Dereck Bell, and Colette Payne, three formerly incarcerated leaders and monologists with Motus Theater’s JustUs project. They read their stories alongside District Attorney Satana Deberry (Durham County, North Carolina), State Attorney Monique Worrell (Ninth Judicial Circuit Court for the State of Florida), and State Attorney Kim Foxx (Cook County, Illinois), who reflected on the United State’s broken criminal legal system and the devastating impacts of mass incarceration on the Black community. Though their stories are somber, they inspire action toward a shared vision of true justice for all.
The U.S. has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, with nearly two million people behind bars. And while Black people are only 13% of the U.S. population, they disproportionately make up 40% of our nation's prisons. Prosecutors are the most powerful actors within the criminal legal system who play a critical role in fueling mass incarceration: they alone decide who to prosecute, whether to file charges or give a second chance, and how stiff a sentence will be.
In a 2019 report, the Reflective Democracy Campaign revealed that 95% of elected prosecutors nationwide are white, and 73% are white men. In order for the criminal legal system to seek a true vision of justice, we must elect prosecutors who accurately reflect our nation's diverse demographics.
TAKE ACTION
Although 80% of prosecutors run unopposed, when women and people of color run against incumbents in competitive races, they are more likely to win over white men. In recent years, a new wave of reform-minded prosecutors is reimagining a criminal legal system that reduces mass incarceration, fights racial injustice, and protects civil rights. We have the power to shake up the status quo and elect decision-makers who are truly committed to justice for all. Here's how:
Pay attention to your local prosecutor's race. Bolts, a digital magazine that covers power and political change, compiled this database of prosecutor elections in each state.
Support reform-minded prosecutors in competitive races. Progressive prosecutors in battleground states will especially need support in the coming midterm elections. In particular, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Texas, and Wisconsin are races to watch.
Invest in the leadership of Black women prosecutors. DA Deberry, SA Foxx, and SA Worrell are among the less than 2% of Black women prosecutors nationwide. It's critical that we elect and invest in leaders who come from and understand the communities that are most vulnerable to prosecutorial bias and unjust sentencing.
Working at the intersection of theater and policy, Motus Theater seeks to facilitate dialogue on the critical issues of our time, from mass incarceration to immigration.