The Emancipation Impact Network Manifesto

We’re a group of activists, artists, and community leaders that are forming the Emancipation Impact Network. 

Our mission is to re-enfranchise people who are intimately affected by incarceration, educate those who aren’t, and collectively work toward the abolishment of the prison-industrial complex.

We use technology to amplify our work and bring people together around these common goals.

There are 2.3 million incarcerated people in the United States. The prison industrial complex offers a well-documented lens into abject, systemic inequity – bolstered by economic incentives that encourage the persistence of private prison companies and other corporations that supply goods and services to government prison agencies. Stemming from slavery, the prison system continues to perpetuate practices that disproportionally affect marginalized communities and maintain a racial capitalist regime.

Due to an egregious lack of resources, support, and education, recidivism rates remain high, communities of color struggle to build wealth, and millions of people are forced to the margins of society without means.

Basic welfare – both in prison and upon release/re-entry – is dramatically affected by incarceration. Even in small segments, prison can turn lives upside down. A couple weeks behind bars can mean losing jobs and housing, while diminishing future prospects for both. 

“Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings."

- Angela Davis

Thousands of organizations nationwide are attempting to reduce this system’s harm, but they’re engaged in a competitive zero-sum game for limited resources. In actuality, resources would be more effective if generated and allocated collectively. 

The overarching philosophy of decentralization – a concept championed by new Internet communities that seeks liberation from exploitative, centralized platforms – aligns well with the tenets of prison abolition. We’re building an impact network that leverages that ethos and uses technology to seamlessly unite various organizational efforts that share similar goals.

Our mission is to re-enfranchise people who are intimately affected by incarceration, educate those who aren’t, and collectively work toward the abolishment of the prison-industrial complex.

Our Impact Network serves the incarcerated communities of the United States and all others affected by incarceration – friends, family, and everyone else who believes in the humanity of our incarcerated comrades. 

We elevate awareness of the prison industrial complex through people directly impacted by it, and act as a mouthpiece for those whose voices have been taken away. There is no better way to cultivate empathy for collective emancipation than through direct exposure to the stories of the unemancipated.

First and foremost, our community is dedicated to simplifying access to information and resources, so we’re gathering in the messaging platform Discord to facilitate that transmission. This is an information hub for both the incarcerated and their communities, where we’ll include resources like:

We’re organizing around the theme, “Our Light,” inspired by an essay written by one of our team members, an incarcerated man named Derrick Washington. From the inside, Derrick successfully gathered community around his Emancipation Initiative – the namesake to our project, as well as a Massachusetts-based project that challenged life without parole sentences. Our priority is to be a light that can help these kinds of initiatives flourish. 

Our central support mechanism is to serve as a fiscal sponsor to inside initiatives like Derrick’s. In the nonprofit sector, a fiscal sponsor provides administrative and financial support to a project that lacks its own legal status as a nonprofit entity. EIN will act as a legal vehicle that empowers community building, continuing to intersect incarcerated and non-incarcerated communities.

Our first call to action is our peer pal initiative, where folks on the outside become communication partners with folks on the inside. And we invite people to share their own stories and artwork in Discord and otherwise participate in this project.

We plan to publish narratives and artwork from incarcerated folks who are intimately affected by these issues, and curate and display their work at Night on the Yard, a virtual gallery that features curated works by incarcerated artists. Funds raised through these stories will directly support the struggles of the storytellers. 

In the future, we plan on hosting physical events, as well as hackathons to build tools that respond directly to the needs of our participating organizations. We also plan to host workshops – in partnership with organizations already doing this work – and offer an educational resource for those interested in learning about blockchain technology (i.e. web3), which enables us to leverage technology like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that can:

• more effectively allocate funds to folks affected by incarceration

• measure proof of impact and ensure decentralization

• re-enfranchise people on terms of compassion – lessening reliance on centralized legislative efforts fueled by political agendas

Finally, we intend to partner with legal resources to generate digital certificates as attestation of community action. For example, being a peer pal, organizing an event or workshop, and/or providing grant support are examples of action that confer domain-specific or jurisdictional experience/knowledge. These should be recognized and valued. Doing so signals to the community – and beyond – that this person is an accredited source of support in those domains and jurisdictions.

For folks who are incarcerated, similar certificates can serve as valuable program accreditation that can work toward future employment and future employment. 

If this feels meaningful to you, please consider subscribing and joining our Discord, where you can get involved by:

• becoming a peer pal with someone currently incarcerated

• sharing your knowledge and/or experience in the criminal legal space

• becoming an ambassador of a particular domain or jurisdiction

• educating yourself on the ruinous realities – ethical, economic, and cultural – of the prison industrial complex

• cultivating this growing community with your voice, ideas, existing community, and/or other supportive connections – there are so many creative ways in which support can manifest and we welcome them all

We’re a group of contributors that span collectivist digital and on-the-ground physical communities – representing carceral publications, civic engagement groups, and thriving internet communities that have already generated thousands of dollars for impacted communities through digital art sales. 

Across these spaces, we represent communities of tens of thousands of people – now we’re bringing those people together.

Amani Sawari

Writer, activist, and founder of SawariMedia

SawariMedia is a communications and civic engagement organization serving those inside prisons across the country. She has created multiple visionary publications, including the Right2Vote Report and Motivate Michigan newsletter, that aid in distributing messages and building community among participants in the prison resistance movement on both sides of the wall. Generated circulation of over 1200 active subscribers in 250+ facilities across 33 states.

Derrick Washington

Co-Founder of the Emancipation Initiative, incarcerated in the state of Massachusetts

“Throughout my sixteen years as a slave of the state -- I've realized the importance of having our many stories heard…I daily feel the aches and pains from slavery. I stare at its malicious face which has worn on me. Being branded as state property #W89316 strips away at my dignity by the day and I bear many of the mental and physical scars of living this reality as I currently sit here in the state’s maximum security prison at Souza Baranowski's Correctional Center (SBCC) facility.”

Elise Swopes

Co-Founder of Night on the Yard 

Elise Swopes is a Brooklyn-based digital artist and creator who has captured the attention of millions with her mesmerizing art, surreal cityscapes, and colorful style. Recognized by Rolling Stone, NFT Now 100, Afrotech, and more as a leader in the crypto field, Swopes is continuously pushing the boundaries of creativity by melding art with a message.She has worked on countless campaigns and released top-selling artwork featured in major publications and social platforms. Moreover, she has dedicated her time to uplifting creators from underrepresented backgrounds and ending the hidden impact of incarceration through Sunrise Art Club–a community and agency dedicated to women of color in Web3–and Night On The Yard—an NFT project created for that purpose.

Jetzi Calvin 

Co-Founder of Night on the Yard 

Whether she’s loading her camera or sowing seeds, Jetzi is focused on preserving and healing her community. Growing up in Chicago provided her a unique vantage point to launch an eclectic career combining artwork, spirituality and politics. Being an Afro-Latinx woman informs her spiritual and organizational work. These days, she runs her own business and is also  the Project Manager for Sunrise Art Club, a creative impact agency by Elise Swopes. Their first project launched on Juneteenth 2022, the first NFT gallery featuring incarcerated artists, Night on the Yard: Confined by Stars.

MacEagon Voyce

Journalist, activist, and builder

Originally from Minnesota and now based in London, MacEagon spent seven years in New York City balancing culture journalism for Vice while also leading people operations for tech startups – which featured community building, immigration support, and work with DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). He’s especially fascinated by collective ownership and realigning platform incentives around the creation of public good. He’s the founder of the music community Grey Matter and the Chief Music Correspondent at the story-driven media platform, Decential, as well as a Kernel fellow and peer mentor.

MacEagon’s involvement with prison abolition work started 10 years ago, growing out of a friendship with an amazing incarcerated man named Derrick Washington (mentioned above). He started an organization called the Emancipation Initiative, which is a Massachusetts-based organization that focuses on the end of life without parole sentencing and universal prisoner suffrage. His incredible resilience and ability to rally community around these issues was the initial spark behind this Emancipation Impact Network.