Tonight the Campaign for Prison Phone Justice received the Digital Media Pioneer for Social Justice Award at the Minority Media and Telecommunication Council’s (MMTC) annual Broadband and Social Justice Summit in Washington D.C.
We received this award alongside Mrs. Martha Wright, her grandson Ulandis Forte, filmmaker Ava DuVernay and the Prison Phone Rates Collaborative. What an honor!
This award wouldn’t have been possible without the work of many additional people, including several on whose dedicated shoulders we stand:
- Mrs. Martha Wright, her grandson Ulandis Forte and the initial petitioners
- The dozens of members of the Campaign for Prison Phone Justice
- Participant Media/Take Action
- The historic and contemporary work of CURE, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Washington Lawyers Committee (DC Prisoner’s Project)
- The Pro Bono representation of Lee Petro, Drinker, Biddle & Reath LLP
- The United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church
- The committed advocates who testified at the Rally for Strong Families and Safe Communities
- The FCC’s Community Advisory Committee
- Congressman Rush and Congressman Waxman, and their staff
- Congressman Keith Ellison
- Commissioner Anne Boyle and NARUC
…and the thousands of family members who’ve bravely shared their stories—and demanded change!
This award, and these words by Commissioner Clyburn, belong to you:
“Next, I would like to recognize the Campaign for Prison Phone Justice. This coalition has worked tirelessly to educate people about the exorbitant costs tied to making calls from prisons and to lead action at the federal, state, and local levels to address the problem. Educating the public and policymakers and rallying support for action is no easy task. It takes excellent communication, organization, and execution. The Campaign for Prison Phone Justice has exemplified these qualities. Collecting tens of thousands of signatures and comments from individuals, hosting rallies, and leading numerous meetings at every level of government are just some of the actions this campaign has conducted. We want to acknowledge this organization’s extraordinary leadership in championing the prison phone justice movement, and for bringing attention to the injustices within the prison phone system, and for standing up for the rights of incarcerated persons and their families.”
On behalf of the Center for Media Justice,
and the leadership of the Campaign for Prison Phone Justice,
THANK YOU!
