Dear Joyce,
In Louisiana, slavery never ended. Now, several years into PJI’s End Plantation Prisons project, with hundreds of hours of investigation and two years of litigation, finally, tomorrow, Tuesday, February 3, will mark the beginning of our landmark trail to end the “Farm Line” at Angola Prison.
We invite you to join us:
VOTE v. LeBlanc
US District Court
Courtroom 2
February 3 – 5, and February 9 -10
The “Farm Line” is a forced-labor assignment in which incarcerated men, mostly Black men at Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP) are sent to work the fields underoppressive, degrading, and dangerous conditions.
This forced labor has persisted for nearly two centurieson plantation land that was used for chattel slavery. LSP itself is named after Angola, a reference to enslaved Africans that were deemed to be “the best.” Men on the “Farm Line” make 2 cents an hour, if anything at all. If someone is too sick to work or feels incapable, they are sent to “the dungeon” or solitary confinement where they are barred from contact with the world, including their families.
For more info and updates about VOTE v. LeBlanc, follow us on Instagram (@justicespromise) or our website. Learn more about the “Farm Line” below:
- Plantation and Prisons: A History of Forced Labor in Louisiana
- PJI’s Report: Punitive By Design
- Public Defenseless Podcast Interview with lead attorney and Senior Litigator, Samantha Pourciau
We think that the year 2026 is a good time to end slavery in Louisiana.
Thank you for your support,
Samantha
Samantha Kennedy
Executive Director
Promise of Justice Initiative
The End Plantation Prison project and lawsuits to stop brutal practices at Angola is very expensive. Please support this work today with a donation: https://promiseofjustice.org/
