A Message from

Michelle Alexander: 

“During my last trip to Denver, I had the privilege and opportunity to meet the incredible youth and community leaders at VORP and I heard first-hand how my book, “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” has inspired them to do work to end mass incarceration and the school-to-prison pipeline in their communities. I believe that the mass incarceration of people of color is the most critical human and civil rights issue facing the United States today, and I wrote this book to help raise consciousness, stimulate dialogue, and ultimately move people to take action. This is why I am so excited to be one of the sponsors of VORP’s work, which is so critical in a state like Colorado where private prisons thrive and incarceration is deeply affecting communities of color. I call on each of you to support this important social justice and community organization and join the movement to create a new society which sees our young people as valuable assets… and which truly provides equal opportunity, freedom and self-determination for all communities.”