You may have read about our Boycott Prisons Campaign in a couple of
my articles that ran in Black newspapers.  Well, it is taking off in
cities across the country, with the enthusiastic support of Pastor
Jonathan Weaver, President of the Collective Banking Group.  We have
also had positive response from Florida and South Carolina.

As we watch our children (and some of our adults) fall prey to the
criminal "injustice" system, and be programmed by white-owned media,
including BET et al, as well as corporate marketers and advertisers,
we must work to deprogram our people with positive messages.  We
must also take every opportunity to educate them on the prison
industrial complex and instill in them alternative behaviors like
"legal" entrepreneurship.

The Boycott prisons campaign grew out of a conversation I had with
L.Nathan Hare in Buffalo New York,  he said, "Wouldn't it be great
if Black people boycotted prisons for just one year?"  What a
concept!  I took it from there and had Brother Jessie Roley or RoSho
graphics in Cincinnati, to design a bumper sticker, which I bought and
turned over to young people to sell and keep the profits.
Thereafter, we designed a T-Shirt and posters saying "Boycott
Prisons!  Don't Go!"

This campaign can take root all over the country if we join in and
make it happen.  We can deprogram our youth and reprogram them to
"stay out of the cells and get into sales"; we can teach them about
the 13th Amendment, which allows slavery in prisons; we can redirect
their energy toward economic empowerment for themselves rather than
for prison-builders.

I am asking each of you to initiate a Boycott Prisons campaign in
your city.  I will provide the artwork for your T-Shirts and other
paraphernalia, and you can give the business to a local Black owned
firm for the printing and screening.  The money stays in your
community. 

The folks in Maryland at the Collective Banking Group have already
ordered more than 1000 T-Shirts, which will be printed by a local
vendor, Charles Williams, CT Shirts.  If we can duplicate the
efforts of the CBG and others who are getting their campaigns
started we will make a significant impact on the skyrocketing
numbers of our youth going to prisons.

Please consider doing this.  Let's provide our people with something
positive in this prison discussion.  The posters, the T-Shirts, the
website, and the bumper stickers, along with other items you may
choose to employ, supported by educational initiatives on
entrepreneurship and other positive alternatives, can create an
awareness campaign that will take this country by storm - and,
instead of our people being the fodder for the prison money machine,
we can control an effort that will bring money into our businesses.
Just like the brands worn by our youth are fashion statements, we
can make the Boycott Prisons Logo a fashion statement too.

Let's try it in our churches, clubs, and other organizations.  We
must do something in addition to just talk about the problem.  If we
turn one person away from the injustice system, we will have won.
Contact me at 513 489 4132 or jclingman@blackonomics.com for more
information.     Peace and love.  Jim Clingman
http://www.blackonomics.com