Douglas Rogers is a formerly incarcerated individual who was locked in solitary confinement after reporting being assaulted by a prison guard. He had been caring for and advocating on behalf of other prisoners while incarcerated, and his experience has shaped his advocacy after his release from prison. Douglas is a founding member of Black and Pink, an organization working to abolish the prison industrial complex, rooted in the experience of currently and formerly incarcerated people. Black and Pink targets the specific violence of the prison industrial complex against LGBTQ people, and responds through advocacy, education, direct service, and organizing. He is working to end solitary confinement, advocating with Black and Pink to stop this inhumane practice. He also works to ensure proper medical and mental health treatment for people in prison.
Watch our recording of him sharing his story at the NonProfit Center in Boston as part of TSNE’ Grassroots Speaker Series.
Take action for prison abolition
There are some very important ways you can support the work of Black and Pink:
- Connect with an LGBTQ pen-pal in prison: http://www.blackandpink.org/pen-pals/
- Donation to Black and Pink: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/blackandpink
- Learn about Black and Pink’s campaign to end solitary confinement: http://www.blackandpink.org/solitary/
Grassroots Speaker Series: Learning and Action with Local Organizers
In the midst of today’s hostile political climate, grassroots organizers remind us that the struggles of oppressed people are not new. TSNE, with our long history of nonprofit capacity building, seeks to use our platform to lift up the voices of grassroots community organizers working on some of our society’s most pressing issues.
The Grassroots Speaker Series highlights the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of local community organizers. Our speakers will share how their lived experiences shape their organizing and the difficulties they face leading grassroots organizations.
Our speakers will explain how audience members can get involved in supporting their work, and may include a facilitated action step during their talks. We hope that attendees will leave with ideas about how to continue to support these important organizations and causes in their own lives—as nonprofit workers, funders, students, or community members.
The next Grassroots Speaker event on March 29 features Priscilla Flint-Banks, the co-founder of Black Economic Justice Institute in Dorchester, Mass. Priscilla will be talking about the work of their initiative called the Blue Hill Corridor Planning Commission where a group of community stakeholders are working together to stem the tide of gentrification and to have a say in development.
Join Kevin Lam of the Asian American Resource Workshop on April 10 for our next Grassroots Speaker Series event. Kevin will be talking about the current landscape/conditions within the Southeast Asian community regarding deportation issues, specifically focusing on AARW’s organizing efforts to mobilize against Southeast Asian detention and deportation.