By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Sept. 3, community leaders and civil rights advocates joined lawmakers at the State Capitol to raise awareness about Proposition (Prop) 6, a ballot initiative that aims to ban forced labor in California’s prisons.

California voters will decide the ballot initiative in this year’s November election. The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) introduced Prop 6 as part of the 14-bill reparations package. The State Legislature passed the measure in June with a bipartisan vote, placing it on the November ballot. The Black Caucus proposed Prop 6 as the “Remove Involuntary Servitude as Punishment for Crime Amendment,” under the Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 (ACA8) to promote justice and equality in California.

Community groups organized a press conference including members of the Black Caucus, The Anti-Recidivism Coalition, The Abolish Slavery National Network, Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, the ABC Coalition, and the American Civil Liberties Union

Assemblymember and Legislative Black Caucus Chair Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) is the author of the ballot measure and has been supportive of community groups in their efforts to abolish slave labor.

Carmen-Nicole Cox of the ACLU led the rally and condemned forced labor stating that it prevents people from building the necessary skills after they leave prison.

“Slavery never has and never will promote rehabilitation,” said Cox.

Supporters of the reparations bills challenged Republican and Democratic legislators to back the ballot measures and help voters understand the harmful impact of forced labor statewide.

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