Millions For Prisoners Human Rights March Feat. Krystal Rountree

In episode 7 of Beyond Prisons, Brian and Kim are joined by Krystal Rountree, founder of iamWE and national organizer of the upcoming Millions for Prisoners Human Rights March on August 19 in Washington, D.C.

Krystal discusses the hard work being done to organize the march and their goal to end prison slavery by removing the exception clause from the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which states, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

Krystal shares how people on both sides of the walls and across the country can participate in this important action and show solidarity with the marchers. She also talks about the risks incarcerated people are taking to participate, and the struggles people face on the outside to support them.

This episode also features currently incarcerated people from the Free Alabama Movement and Jailhouse Lawyers Speak sharing their thoughts on prison slavery and struggle.

Krystal is the CoFounder and Director of iamWE, a Prison Advocacy Network based in the Carolinas. iamWE is a hands-on Human Rights Organization dedicated to advocating for prisoners. Their current focus is the Millions for Prisoners Human Rights March whose aim is to end Legalized Slavery by removing the exception clause from the 13th amendment. In addition to the work of iamWe, Krystal is also a local community organizer and works with women and children impacted by domestic violence and poverty.

Visit iamWE's website: http://iamweubuntu.com

Learn more about the march: http://www.iamweubuntu.com/millions-for-prisoners-human-rights.html

Free Alabama Movement: http://www.freealabamamovement.com/

Jailhouse Lawyers Speak: https://www.facebook.com/BlkJailhouselawyer/

Transcript

Jay Ware: Welcome to Beyond Prisons. My name is Jay, and I am the producer of Beyond Prisons. Today we have an episode featuring Krystal Rountree of the iamWE Prison Advocacy Network to speak with Brian and Kim about the Millions for Prisoners Human Rights March. Before they get started with that interview, we want to start incorporating into Beyond Prisons more currently incarcerated voices. So, today, we’re gonna start that by including some audio from members of the Free Alabama Movement and Jailhouse Lawyers Speak. This first clip is from Bennu Hannibal Ra-Sun of the Free Alabama Movement. I asked him recently whether even in light of the prison strike and films like “The Thirteenth”, whether society at large is really aware of the state of prison slavery in American prisons. 

Bennu: No, No. I know they’re not, and just because society has been misinformed about what prisons are. You know, for a long time, everyone worked under the…, well I’m not gonna say everyone but you understand what I’m saying…worked under the assumption that the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery. That’s what we were taught. That’s what we were told. And, that’s what we repeated for centuries, and so now we’re coming to the point where we’re not going to undo that in a couple years, two or three years or what not. And, we have to remember that a lot of the people who…the corporations, like the Allied Corporations that profit off this, they fund criminal justice programs. They fund the textbooks that are being taught. They fund these curriculums. They fund these internships to these large corporations, and so, no, society really…really, society has no clue. It’s only on the grassroots level that these conversations are just now picking up. There are people in prison that don’t even know about it, so part of the message is having a hard time resonating and spreading throughout the prisons, how much more complicated it is to get that message out to the mainstream of society.

(Music plays)

Jay: And now Brian and Kim’s interview with Krystal Rountree of the iamWE Prison Advocacy Network.

Kim: Krystal Rountree is the co-founder and director of iamWE, a prison advocacy network based in the Carolinas. iamWE is a hands-on human rights organization dedicated to advocating for prisoners. Their current focus is the Millions for Prisoners Human Rights March, whose aim is to end legalized slavery by removing the exception clause from the Thirteenth Amendment. Thank you for joining us, Krystal. 

Krystal: Thank you. It’s my pleasure to be here today.

Kim: In addition to the works of iamWE, Krystal is also a local community organizer and works with women and children impacted by domestic violence and poverty. Well, Brian and I are excited to have you here to talk about the Millions For Prisoners Human Rights March, and the first question that we have for you is… can you tell us a little bit about the history of the march and what the goals are for the march?

Krystal: Absolutely. The march has been in the works and in discussion for almost two years at this point. It was initially the brainchild and the idea from the prisoners themselves. I am the co-founder of a prison advocacy network based in the Carolinas called iamWE Prison Advocacy Network. And, through that work, and our interaction with a lot of the brothers and sisters behind the wall, in our discussions, it is our goal to always try to figure out what we can do to challenge the prison industrial complex. And, out of that conversation and the historical research in the past, the Thirteenth Amendment was a constant that continued to show up. And, you know, the Thirteenth Amendment definitely legalizes slavery in this country. (Kim agrees) And through that conversation, we decided, why not re-emerge that movement? Why not bring…it’s never been completed, it’s been started lots of times, but it’s not really been any real tangible results that have come from it. And, so, it was our goal to restart up this discussion and dialogue about the Thirteenth Amendment with a actual game plan to be successful with it, and so that’s kind of the origins of the ideas for the march itself. Again, it is a collaboration between the iamWE prison and the prisoners themselves, and it has really grown over the course of the two years, and so much of our time has been spent on providing education about what the Constitution actually says, and the fact that slavery is still alive and well and exists today. (Kim agrees) So, hence the need for this mass day of education and awareness on August the 19th of this year.

Kim: Awesome! And, for the audience, I’ll just read what the Thirteenth Amendment says. So, section 1 of the Thirteenth Amendment says:

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

So, yeah. As you pointed out, slavery has not ended, right? So, what we have today and what we call mass incarceration is an extension of slavery. And, we see this best expressed in the Thirteenth Amendment. So, can you tell us a little bit about how you became involved in this work, and how you came to start iamWE, and a little bit of your personal story?

Krystal: Sure. So, I have..I’m just by nature one of those people who are or who have been involved in so many different social justice causes and issues. I’m pretty active here in my state. My background, actually in community organizing and involvement, actually my work initially, locally, originally involved with women and children affected by domestic violence and extreme poverty here in our community. And, there was a correlation in doing that work. I realized that so much of this has to do with…there’s a component of imprisonment or incarceration somewhere along the line, and that kind of opened my eyes up to this whole new world that I actually was ignorant to, about the real state of what is occurring within our criminal justice system, within our prison system, and that it’s actually designed this way. It’s no coincidence that the system operates the way that it does, and once that understanding came to me, I was compelled personally to take a stand in some form or another. And, I began interacting and communicating with formerly incarcerated individuals, and that led me to working with several law students here in this area. And, we formed the iamWE Prison Advocacy Network initially to be a resource for prisoners. We always, it’s our ground, we’re hands on with the prisoners. A lot of people who claim to represent the prisoners or speak on their behalf, well they actually don’t communicate with them and that’s been…It’s our goal to be hands-on, interactive, visiting with the prisoners, sending correspondence and materials, being a resource for not only them, but for their loved ones as well. And, so, in doing that work, the iamWE Prison Advocacy Network began talking with lots of prisoners, and there was actually a prisoner-led organization that was formed underneath the iamWE family, which is called Jailhouse Lawyers Speaks, and that now includes a whole lot of prisoners, not just only the Jailhouse Lawyers Speaks family, but prisoners all throughout the nation. 

Kim: Wonderful. Wonderful. Brian, do you want to ask a question?

Brian: Yeah, I’m wondering, you know, I know that you have been working on this march for awhile, and I’m just wondering if you could speak a little bit about your experience in organizing it, maybe where you’re at with organizing it, and the kinds of support that you all are looking for as we make our way towards August.

Krystal: Sure. The march, you know, it started literally with just an idea. We had no resources. We didn’t have any large names behind us. It’s truly been grassroots from the beginning, and it continues to be. Much of the work are from regular, everyday people who believe in this mission and this cause. A lot of people are directly impacted by imprisonment. We got people from all aspects, from prison reform to prison abolition, involved here in this movement. Everybody can really rally around the Thirteenth. You know, that was something universally understood that slavery needs to go. It needs to be abolished.

Brian: Right

Krystal:  It’s 2017. And, so, with that unifying message, people, even if their foundation was in something specific, like solitary confinement, or juvenile without life, or the death penalty, they still saw the value in all of us coming together as a collective to voice our concerns on the main stage. And, so people have been creating materials, creating flyers, word of mouth, a lot of networks speaking about the march, and encouraging other networks to participate in it, and that has been how we’ve come together. It’s been a small group of people with a large idea, and we’re counting on the people to make it happen, and they are really coming through, so we’re excited about that. We do have a national committee, which is comprised of myself, and some other volunteers, and we more so discuss the specifics of the march, like when will it start, when will it end. We’re in charge of things like getting our permit approved with the National Parks Service, buses and lodging, and all the fine details that it takes to plan a march.

Brian: Right

Krystal: And, none of us are professional planners, I’ll say that. (Kim laughs) So, it’s been trial and error, and it has been a reliance on people who have experience in certain areas, really, a collective people powered movement, and we do consider this to be a movement. (Kim and Brian agree) And, as far as where we are right now, we are still encouraging people to continue to do what they have already been doing. Keep sharing, keep spreading the word, keep letting people know the importance of this, and we will need that same group of people after the march because the march is a one day event. The march is to bring awareness. The march is to say, ‘Hey, this is the problem we’ve got going on. We need to do something about it.’ And, we are formulating, myself and another committee, a very knowledgeable group of people, we are formulating right now a plan of what we would like people to do after the march,  because, this is such a long and protracted struggle. I mean, when you’re talking about removing something from the Constitution, making Constitutional changes, that is a long process. Much of the work, most of the work will actually take place after the march. We’ll need that same fervor, and that same energy. 

Kim: Okay, so you were talking about what happens next, and that’s a wonderful segway into the question that I actually had, which was, so what do you envision for after the march, because as you pointed out, that’s where a lot of the work is gonna take place, and getting rid of or amending something in the Constitution is a big undertaking that is going to require different kinds of efforts. So, can you talk a little bit about that?

Krystal: Absolutely. So, as I was saying, most of the work, the march itself is a one day event, and the purpose of the march itself is to bring this mass education, the mass awareness, the kind of pull the curtain off behind this prison industrial complex that we’ve got going on, but majority of the work actually takes place after August the 19th. We’re gonna need the same energy from all of these people who have been so supportive all the while. We’ll need them to be as involved, if not more involved, after the march. We have a committee, right now, we’re working very diligently to come up with some specifics for people to act on after the march. We know that you really got a short window of people’s attention span, and coming with solutions to the problem after the march, is not the most effective way for us to be successful. (Kim agrees) So, we’ve got two specific points of demand for the march. The first one is the removal of the exception clause from the Thirteenth Amendment. And, as you mentioned, that is a very specific and huge undertaking. So, we are brainstorming right now with some very informed people on the best plan of action for us to be successful for that. Our second point of demand is we’re demanding congressional hearings. It needs to be recognized officially that this is in fact a violation of human rights based on international law. We chose to keep it simple. Those are our only two points of demand, but those are some pretty heavy points that take a lot of work following this. (Kim agrees)

Brian: Right

Krystal: So, we will on August the 19th have that all together. We are still enlisting individuals who may be knowledgeable in those areas to come join us, to come join our team, to sit down at the table, because we’re very serious and intentional about what we’re doing. So often, even in the beginning, people would say, ‘We’re tired of marching. Why another march?’ And, so we don’t want to have another meaningless march. We don’t want people to invest their time and resources into this movement and cause, and things continue to be the same. (Kim agrees) In addition to that, we are encouraging people to start iamWE chapters, because this is the work of iamWE going forward. Now, we will certainly continue to advocate and educate, and do all the things that iamWE does, but one of the main causes that we have chosen to take up is slavery, and we certainly know that this is one of the greatest human rights causes of our time, and it’s certainly worthy. 

Brian: Right

Kim:  Fantastic!

Brian: Going back to what you were saying about this being deliberately led by people who are directly impacted, I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about what people on the inside both have been doing to resist slave labor, and if there is anything, maybe that you know of, that people are planning on doing in concert with the day of the march, or anything of that kind? 

Krystal: Sure. So, I can say that the prisoners are very excited about the August the 19th March. The amount of mail that we receive at this point is amazing! I mean, it is truly, there’s deep appreciation for this. You know, they’re just very excited about what we’ve got going on. In conjunction to all of the planning that’s going on here on the outside, a lot of prisoners are planning to be in solidarity on August the 19th as well. The month of August was actually selected to host the march in honor of ‘Black August’, and that is a historical month of prison resistance within the prison system,, and a lot of important things have occurred in August. So, that is why August was actually selected. And, in conjunction with the historical things that prisoners have taken place with in August, some of those things are, they will be fasting, some prisoners will be wearing black arm bands to show their solidarity. It has also been requested that they refrain from spending money of any type within the prison system, so that would include things like commissary and J-Pay. So, they’re excited about it. You know, they are doing whatever they can within their means to be in solidarity with this event. They have also been really encouraging their family and friends to participate in this. As a matter of fact, I’d say about twenty percent of the participants that we have received here from the outside, have been led to us by the prisoners. So, it is my understanding that a lot of talk and discussion is going on behind the walls in ways that they can be in solidarity and support these efforts.

Kim: Fantastic! One of the things that always comes up, at least for me, in conversation with other activists both inside and outside, is the ramifications of activism inside, you know, the implications of activism, because we had Five-Mualimm-Ak a few weeks ago, and he said it was really difficult to be an activist on the inside. Have you heard anything, gotten a sense from anyone inside that the prison officials have signaled to them any kind of quelling, or cracking down on people who participate in these acts of solidarity, because I think that’s a concern.

Krystal: I first got my experience with dealing with the officials and some of the retaliation during the September 9th strikes that occurred last year. Many of the Jailhouse Lawyers Speaks members as well as other prisoners throughout the nation, did experience prison official retaliation for participating, but we have not received any word from anyone that they experienced retaliation from any prison officials in their state. However, we are monitoring those incidents as closely. It’s a small thing that we assume should not cause any sort of effects for the prisoners. However, we’re talking about the system. (Kim agrees) And, so we have been informed by the NLG, National Lawyers Guild, representatives providing representation and assistance to us as well as to the prisoners if that should be the case. So, we’re keeping a close eye on that situation to see if anything does develop or come up. But, given the knowledge of how things generally work, something may come out of it.

Kim: Yeah, because we know that, in prison, any act of resistance, whether it’s perceived as violent towards officials or CO’s, or staff doesn’t matter, right? It’s like they will attempt to crack down on those things and retaliate in ways that make it really difficult to prove, and to resist, and they do it for that purpose, because they know that they’re not going to really be held accountable, right? (Krystal agrees) So, you talked about, not just the march, but what comes after, as being a grassroots movement, and I’d love to hear more about how regular people are involved in this, because I think so often we have a sense that activists are people who are extraordinary people, right, and that they’re not just regular people who have full time jobs and are carrying on with their families and everything else, and their activism is part of that life, part of their identity, part of their existence, right? So, can you talk a little bit about who’s in the movement, and how folks can get involved if they want, not just with the march, but with the work that will come after?

Krystal: Certainly. You’re absolutely correct. You know, I am a very ordinary person. I work full time. I have children. My husband is in prison, and as you know, that alone, what I just mentioned, is a full time commitment.  

Brian: Right

Krystal: But when I think you’re passionate about a cause, you find a way and you find time to invest in those things, and for me, I feel like, if I don’t do it, then who will do it? (Kim agrees) And, so many people that I meet have that attitude, they have that…these are just regular concerned citizens, people. Some have been impacted. Some people have not been impacted, but there’s a problem. And, whenever there’s a problem, I think you’ll find people, it’s just a part of humanity, of who we are. People will rise to the occasion, and that is so much of who our members consist of, who our supporters consist of, are regular, everyday people. Sometimes I come across people who say, ‘Well, I don’t have this qualification or that qualification.’ And, I’m saying, ‘Can you send an email? Can you write a letter to you local legislator? Can you tweet something on our behalf?’ Can you…’ And, that’s all it takes. That’s all it takes. It takes a collective effort of small steps of people up to a larger because this seems impossible. I’ll tell you right now. This seems impossible to say, ‘We’re going to amend the constitution,’ you know? (Kim agrees) But, it’s not. It’s not impossible. It will take a long time, but it’s not impossible, so people are encouraged, you know, welcome to not only get involved with the march itself as you mentioned, but most importantly the work after the march, which is where our real results will lie. I’m currently in contact with the U.S. Human Rights Network, iamWE, we are a member of the U.S. Human Rights Network, and we’re actually trying to take this issue before the U.N. next year. So we just need people to do what they can wherever they are, and even if they themselves think that may be something small, in reality, it’s a huge contribution to the overall effort.

Brian: Right

Kim: Wonderful. Wonderful. Brian?

Brian: Yeah, just sort of quickly, and I’m sorry if you mentioned this before, but as a clarification… so for people who can’t make it to D.C. for the march on that day, is there anything you’re asking them to do, like are you asking people to hold rallies in their own communities? If there’s anything you can talk about there, I’d be interested to know.

Krystal:  Several people, we’ve got a large number of supporters. Actually, in California and Texas, and way on the West coast, and other places, and we’ve got some supporters in Canada, and other people in the Netherlands. It is my understanding that they will be holding solidarity marches or rallies, or demonstrations, or however they choose to call it.

Brian: Right. 

Krystal: But, it’s all in honor of the Millions for Prisoners Human Rights March, because we want August the 19th to be a world-wide day for prisoners’ human rights going forward, even after 2017. So, a lot of people, I mean it’s expensive to get to Washington D.C., and a lot of people cannot make it there. So we are encouraging individuals to host solidarity events, and that could be five people or five hundred people, whatever you’re able to organize in your area. Be out there with your signs and take photos, and we would love to collect those photos. But, yes, we are encouraging to do those solidarity events. If you are not able to do a solidarity event, whatever you are able to do, sharing a flyer, it all counts!

Brian: Great

Kim: One of the things that you just mentioned a couple of minutes ago was that this idea that this seems impossible, right? That it’s unrealistic to think that we’re going to get rid of this, you know, the penal servitude clause, and I think that’s also part of what this…you know, we can talk about capitalism, we can talk about a lot of other things. So without getting into that very long interactive discussion, (laughs) can we talk a little bit more about why this is realistic, and why this is a hopeful movement, and not just a march, right? That this is, because I think that there are two things happening here. One, I don’t want to minimize, and I don’t want people to get the sense that marches don’t matter, because I think that marches DO matter, and that it’s a public showing of the social movement in social change that needs to happen alongside the political transformation that we’re seeking in this society, that we need both of those things, right. And, I think that marches speak to that. Beyond the march, which is the component that you’re saying that ninety five percent of the work will take place after the march, I think that that’s also a really significant part of it, but that people tend to feel, even if they don’t always say so, that you know that these things are so far off, and that it’s unrealistic to think that we’re gonna change that, and I wanna kind of shift people’s thinking about that. So, that’s my evil plan right there. (everyone laughs) You know, to really get people to think that, ‘Yeah, this is something that’s possible. This is something that is realistic.’ And, I think that when I talk to you, talking to other people who are involved in this work, that it can seem like such an overwhelming…it can all seem so overwhelming, and it’s just like, how do we get through all of this, and that can be discouraging. But, we’re not doing this work because we’re discouraged. I think we’re doing this work, or at least I am, because I’m really hopeful and I’m optimistic, (Brian agrees) and I’m seeing people around me who also share in that optimism. And, I don’t mean in a superficial kind of motivational poster kind of way. I think we actually believe that this is possible, right? So, do you mind talking about that a little bit?

Krystal: Sure. Sure. Those are some fantastic points that you bring because this is a movement with a purpose. This is a movement with a goal, and we not only want to highlight the problem, but the possibilities, and this is very possible, you know? The support, as you mentioned, is growing. I remember years ago, no one was even aware of the problem, and even today, I approach people who have no idea what I’m talking about. And, it’s easy to become discouraged, but, on the other side, there are thousands and thousands of people, I mean, I could go on forever talking to people who understand this. They know what’s going on. They believe too in the possibilities, and I think people who are coming out on August the 19th, are hopeful as well.  I think that everyone is coming for change, everyone is coming to bring their contributions, and their ideas, and their solutions for change to this situation. And, so, it is absolutely within our grasp. There are steps laid out on how you actually go about changing or amending the constitution, and we plan on taking those steps. (Kim agrees) And, so, we’re excited. We’re actually excited about it. We’re going into this march with excitement. We’re going into this march with hope. We’re going into this march with the power of the people behind us, and so that is a really encouraging thing for all of us despite the pessimism that has come our way often times.

Kim: Yeah. So, we ask all of our guests a final question. That question is, how do you see abolition?

Krystal: You know, abolition, to me, or an abolitionist, is anyone who stands up to any form of slavery, and for some people that may be limited to one area or another. But, for me personally, I know and I recognize that slavery not only still exists today, but that it closely resembles the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, as well as Chattel slavery, and the purpose of this remains the same. You know, it’s to exploit certain classes of people for commercial and personal gains. We think that the work of abolition should be a concern of every person, whether you realize that you’re impacted by it or not. And, just as the abolition in the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries created movements demanding an end to slavery, they’re taking a stand to demand the same thing, specifically, legalized slavery, which is allowed by the Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution. And as I said before, this is certainly one of the greatest human rights causes of our time. (Brian agrees) And, abolition, the work of abolition, whether it be prison abolition or [inaudible] , we think that this movement right here, the goal, the end goal, will address all of those issues. We hope to replace what’s currently in place, as far as the prison industrial complex, with more humane and effective ways of dealing with our social issues that we have in this country.

Kim: You can find out more about the work that Krystal Rountree is doing at IAmWeUbuntu.com That’s iamweubuntu.com. You can follow the Millions for Prisoners on Twitter @milli4prisoners. You can also find them on facebook at Millions for Prisoners March on Washington.

Brian: Well, thank you so much, Krystal. We’re going to continue to keep a very close eye on the work that you’re doing, and hopefully have you back soon, and I know that Kim and I are trying to figure out how we can get there, so that we can report on it. So, please keep us in touch, and I just want to thank you so much for the work you’re doing, and for the time that you took to talk to us today.

Kim: Yeah, same here. Thank you so much for being with us today, Krystal.

Krystal: Thank you so much. 

Jay: Thank you again to Brian and Kim, and thank you to our guest, Krystal Rountree this week. We leave you with this reflection from two members of Jailhouse Lawyers Speak on how people on the outside can support the prison resistance of incarcerated people.

Continue using your voice. That is the most fundamental thing. We need people out there to continue to use their voices, you know, to continue to be our voices, to continue to echo what we’re saying, to also, I always say…we need to find organizations that are directly connected with prisoners inside because what we find today, is that most of the propaganda that is put out there today is putout against prisoners. It’s put out against all areas of anything that relates to any heart-filled action, or anything that’s humane in relation to prisoners, human rights, period. So, we definitely need our voices out there, because right now, they’re definitely moving on all angles to shut us down. If you look anywhere in the news, our voices are nowhere on the news. Right now, you have our voice. You’re carrying our voice. You’re being our voice. That’s what we need, you know. We need more people to listen to us, and try to get our words and our messages out, because we are the new modern day slaves. You know, we are the ones that are enslaved, you know, and I’m always one of the ones that say that you cannot fight this slavery without communicating with those that are actually enslaved, you know, you can’t necessarily explain their situation without actually communicating with them. And, again, we have a lot of organizations out there that are not communicating with the prisoners themselves. They are not communicating with us, so because they’re not communicating with us, we’re not getting very far on the ground right there, because it seems like every angle that these organizations try to take, they’re not really assisting us, but they are piece-meal type issues, so we never actually get at the root, to dig up, you know, to dig at capitalism, you know. And, we know what capitalism represents. We know how capitalism is tied directly in to slavery. You know, these are issues they won’t address, and they don’t want to hear us when we bring these issues up. So how can they get involved? How can they help us? Be our voice. Get involved with some local organizations that are directly tied with us back here, meaning us, meaning prisoner organizations that are actually back here fighting on the front lines, the ones that are being oppressed, the ones that are being tortured, the ones that are being held in solitary confinement. Get on the same page that we are on, because we are being tortured. We are being confined. We are being blind-folded and hog-tied for a reason. You know, learn what those reasons are, why they want to silence us. We got an upcoming event on August 19, during Black August Resistance Month on the National Mall in Washington D.C. We’re asking everybody, encouraging everybody to get involved out there, to be out there, to bring their voices out there. We want to raise hell in the streets of America on August the 19th. Actually, if you can’t be in Washington D.C., find your local jail. Protest in front of your local jail. Protest in front of your local prison. Protest on the state capital. We want voices to be heard all across America to make our voices heard, so like my comrade [inaudible] say, Be our voice. Make yourselves heard on this issue. That’s what they can do for us. Find some local organizations. Encourage them to get involved.