FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Mark Hughes, Justice For All Executive Director: 802.532.3030

Racial Justice Reform Coalition Changes Name, Calls for Change

Montpelier, Vermont, January 8, 2018 – The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance (the Alliance) previously the Racial Justice Reform Coalition, that advanced Act 54 (2017), Racial Disparities in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice System Advisory Panel and Act 9 (2018), Racial Equity Panel (and Director), today announced its legislative agenda, “Change Vermont:. The agenda puts forward bills abolishing constitutionalized slavery and establishing a commission to provide recommendations on reconciliation.

“We should not excuse ourselves from our responsibility for this fight. It’s time for us to recognize that racism is both a tool of oppression to harm people of color and the most historically successful instrument of oppressing and obstructing the progress of money poor white folk” said Netdahe Stoddard, a white member of the Alliance. The Alliance is moving forward bills to expand the Human Rights Commission, implement ethnic studies standards, prohibit racial profiling, roll out consistent standards for law enforcement use of force and to update Act 9. Nico Amador of Vermont ACLU said, “People of color have taken the leadership in advancing new approaches to addressing racial justice issues across the state of Vermont. It is our hope that constituents support the leadership”

Alliance members will be at the “Advancing the People’s Platform in Vermont” forum on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 from 10:45 until noon discussing the platform.

About Justice For All
Justice for All pursues racial justice within Vermont’s criminal justice system through advocacy, education, and relationship building.

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