WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, leaders of the #EndTheException campaign gathered alongside U.S. Congresswoman Nikema Williams (D-GA-5) on the steps of the United States Capitol as they continue to urge members of Congress to support H.J.R. 53 and S.J.R. 21, which collectively make up the Abolition Amendment. The federal legislation would end the exception in the Thirteenth Amendment that allows slavery and involuntary servitude to be used as punishment for crime. The event was part of the ongoing #EndTheException campaign, endorsed by over 80 advocacy organizations and state allies including Worth Rises, Vera Institute of Justice, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Anti-Recidivism Coalition, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Civil Rights Corps, and the Abolish Slavery National Network.
Congresswoman Nikema Williams said, “The Abolition Amendment will bring us one step closer to achieving true justice and equality for all. States are amending their constitutions to finally abolish slavery in all forms, and Congress must lead the way and finally abolish forced labor in America. We are in a period of reckoning with our country’s history, much of which is marked with racism and systems of oppression. Eliminating the loophole in the 13th Amendment that allows for slavery is another opportunity to reckon with our past so we can move forward. Today, I have secured 140, bipartisan cosponsors for the Abolition Amendment and I am hopeful that more of my colleagues will stand up and say once and for all we will end slavery with no exceptions. I look forward to the House of Representatives voting quickly on the Abolition Amendment.”
Since the Abolition Amendment was introduced in Congress around Juneteenth last year, the number of co-sponsors in the House has jumped from 17 to 140, including bipartisan support with Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT-2) and Rep. John Katko (R-NY-24) joining. In the Senate, there are currently 12 co-sponsors, up from 8 when it was first introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR). In both chambers, the legislation has support from judiciary committee leadership including Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congressmember Jerry Nadler (D-NY-10).
"This weekend marks America’s celebration of Juneteenth. This country was founded on the beautiful principles of equality and justice—principles that have never been compatible with the horrific realities of slavery and white supremacy interwoven with the founding of our country,” said Senator Jeff Merkley. “Many people do not know that our 13th Amendment—which, at face value, bans slavery—contains a sinister loophole that not only allows slavery to continue, but launched an era of discrimination and mass incarceration that continues to this day. To live up to our nation’s ideal of justice for all, we must eliminate the slavery clause in the 13th Amendment, which allows for slavery ‘as punishment for crime.’ As we continue to work towards the promise of equality and justice for all, we must continue reckoning with our past and do all we can to ensure a more just future.”
“We are proud to join Congresswoman Williams and all of our #EndTheException campaign partners today to celebrate growing bipartisan support for the Abolition Amendment—not only among lawmakers, but also thousands of everyday people across the country,” said Worth Rises Executive Director Bianca Tylek, who helps lead the coalition. “In just a short time, Juneteenth has become a gentrified, commodified holiday, with less attention paid to its cultural significance and impact. While it’s important to see Juneteenth centered today, we need to keep its history at the core of our celebration and remember that there’s still work to do. Slavery is still very much legal and real in our nation, but the Abolition Amendment gives us an opportunity to change that and truly abolish slavery for all so that we can clearly and loudly exclaim: No slavery! No exceptions!”
Juneteenth Billboard in Galveston, Texas
The campaign is also ramping up advocacy efforts for Juneteenth this Sunday, June 19. This week, it launched an ad campaign with billboards in historically significant Galveston, TX and Savannah, GA; 25 bus station ads in Washington, D.C.; and a full page ad in the Los Angeles Times—among other efforts. Images are available upon request.
“Every day, incarcerated people work—under threat of additional punishment—for little to no pay,” said Sean Kyler, Operations Manager, Advocacy and Partnerships at Vera Institute of Justice. “Estimates suggest that a minimum of $2 billion and as much as $14 billion a year in wages is stolen from them for the enrichment of private companies, state-owned entities, and correctional agencies. People in jails and prisons deserve to be treated with dignity and to earn a living wage. It's why we join the call on Congress to pass the Abolition Amendment and end the exploitation of incarcerated people's labor.”
To learn more about #EndTheException and the Abolition Amendment, visit: https://endtheexception.com/
ADDITIONAL COALITION MEMBER QUOTES:
“The United States has a long, problematic history of using incarcerated workers as a source of cheap labor and to subsidize the costs of our bloated prison system. Incarcerated people are forced to work by a government institution functioning as both jailer and boss. Stripped of even the most minimal protections against labor exploitation and abuse, they are paid pennies for their work in often unsafe working conditions even as they produce billions of dollars for states and the federal government. In any other workplace, these conditions would be shocking and plainly unlawful. The United States, whether at the state or federal level, should never be in the business of forcing its citizens and residents into involuntary servitude." — Jennifer Turner, Principal Human Rights Researcher with the ACLU’s Human Rights Program and primary author of the ACLU’s report, Captive Labor: Exploitation of Incarcerated Workers, published today
"The template used by prisons has always been that used by slave owners, threatening a descent into harsher labor and brutality beyond comprehension if the slaves did not comply with every command to work where, when, and at what they were told. The existence of forced labor gives the lie to the concept of ‘rehabilitation’ if that concept relies on respect for oneself and one’s abilities, not to mention one’s place in a just society." — Jorge Renaud, National Criminal Justice Director for LatinoJustice PRLDEF
“Though the United States has celebrated the end of slavery for decades – the exception to the 13th amendment is rarely acknowledged or discussed. Allowing slavery to exist as punishment for a crime dehumanizes those who are incarcerated and promotes state-sanctioned exploitation and harm as ‘justice.’ Passing this Abolition Amendment is essential to ending the practice of forced labor in prisons and an important step towards repairing the failure of our country to live up to its values.” — Daniel Forkkio, CEO of Represent Justice
“Civil Rights Corps is proud to be a part of the End the Exception Coalition and continue to believe that it is time to abolish slavery in all forms — including as a form of punishment. Each day thousands of incarcerated individuals are forced to work for free creating billions of dollars in profits for private and state-owned companies while depriving these individuals of an opportunity to earn a living wage and help support their families and communities. No one should be forced to work for free. By challenging these six words in the 13th Amendment, we can take a step toward focusing on policies that will uplift and invest in communities, not violate their human rights. We join the bill's authors Sen. Merkley and Rep. Williams and other members of the End the Exception Coalition in urging Congress to pass the Abolition Amendment and end this exploitation.” — Tehra Coles, Senior Policy Counsel at Civil Rights Corps
"Slavery—at any day, age or era—is WRONG. So many Americans are unaware that slavery is still legal in our country and this in itself is unconstitutional. The loophole in the 13th amendment is a disregard for human life and dignity. We urge Congress to please do the right thing and pass the Abolition Amendment and give every citizen of ‘The Land of The Free’, the peace of mind that we in will not tolerate any form of slavery, of any nature or narrative." — Jeanna Kenney, President of Ensuring Parole for Incarcerated Citizens (EPIC)
“The U.S. government has voiced a clear commitment to ending forced labor in all of its forms. Yet our own system of prison labor often contradicts our values—and our own laws against labor trafficking. We are grateful to Senator Merkley and Representative Williams for taking this step toward ending forced labor and labor trafficking in the U.S. prison system,” — Catherine Chen, CEO of Polaris