My 2024 NOLA to Angola Fundraiser

I'm biking 170 miles from New Orleans to the Louisiana State Penitentiary (commonly known as Angola) to raise money for the Cornerstone Builders Bus Project. This project buses people from parts of Louisiana to Angola and other Louisiana prisons, so they can visit incarcerated loved ones. This is HUGE, as so many urban Louisianans lack cars.

NOLA to Angola is an annual solidarity bicycle ride fundraiser that supports the efforts of organizations working to mitigate and reverse the impacts of the U.S. prison system.  Louisiana is consistently one of the places with the highest incarceration rate IN THE WORLD (we're talking, higher than that in countries run by dictators). Proposed changes under our current administration (that of Gov. Landry) will only make this situation worse. 

A couple of thoughts about incarceration that have stuck with me:

"What's the worst thing you've ever done? What if you were judged by that for the rest of your life?" What if it was public information and the only thing prospective employers, partners, friends, etc., knew about you? (This, from a conversation with a formerly incarcerated friend.)

"Prison disappears people." (This came, I think, from an attorney at  VOTE, but has been reiterated by numerous people I've heard speak who are impacted by incarceration. Prison disappears people from society literally, but it's deeper than that. Once people are incarcerated, others quit talking about them, and it's like they don't even exist.) 

Our criminal legal system is unjust, full stop. Let's try to compensate a bit here for the taxes we pay that support this unjust system. Thanks for your solidarity.