At Tuesday night's (December 17) '"Looking for a Home" Posada Procession, we halted at the Circuit Court building to remember that "If you are Looking for a Home you don’t want to live where you have no voice!"
This was an opportunity for CKCPJ board member Janet Jenkins Tucker (pictured above) to call for an end to Kentucky's regressive voter disenfranchisement laws. Those laws affect approximately 248,000 Kentuckians, 181,000 of which have served their time and paid their debt to society in full. Nonetheless, these US citizens are permanently prohibited from partaking in what is the most fundamental of democratic rights. Kentucky is one of four states in the nation that disenfranchises former felons for life. The law requires that each person who has been convicted of a felony receive an executive pardon from the Governor, a process that is exceedingly and unnecessarily complicated.
Putting this into perspective, these laws affect one in seventeen Kentuckians. Most of these people have become productive members of our communities despite the life-long stigmatization that comes with the label a former felon, including having overcome the obstacles of finding meaningful employment. Yet they are still relegated to perpetual state of second-class citizenry, an existence that epitomizes taxation without representation.
Furthermore, this law, found in section 145 of the Kentucky State Constitution, disproportionately affects minorities. More precisely, 1 in 4 African-Americans are permanently disenfranchised. Rating the state of Kentucky as the second highest in voter disenfranchisement of African-Americans. This CANNOT continue! Of course, one cannot address the fight to reinstate voting rights to felons without recognizing the diligence and hard work of our brothers and sisters at KFTC: Kentuckians for the Commonwealth and their long and hard-fought battle for HB 70. Thank you for all that you do!
We invite concerned people throughout the commonwealth to stand with CKCPJ: Central Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice in the fight for DEMOCRACY FOR ALL!
As the GoodGiving Guide Challenge is nearing its end for this year, with only two weeks left to go, we at CKCPJ are humbly asking for you to take action by donating so we can continue to shed light on, and fight for, issues such as this. Thank you, so much for all of your support. Please, share our message and help us attain our goal of ensuring that Kentucky sets the standard for equality, peace and justice!
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