Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

Incarcerated Workers in Alabama File Lawsuit to End Involuntary Servitude
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
10 May 2024
🖨️ Print Article

Black Agenda Radio · Incarcerated Workers in Alabama File Lawsuit to End Involuntary Servitude

Six incarcerated people in the state of Alabama have filed a lawsuit against their governor and the Commissioner of Corrections. Alabama’s prison system is the most overcrowded in the country, where Black people make up 26 percent of the population, but 53 percent of the prison population. Following a successful labor strike by incarcerated workers, Alabama voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that expanded the ban on slavery and involuntary servitude to prison. With their state court lawsuit, the plaintiffs seek enforcement of the amendment. Jessica Vosburgh is a senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights which represents the plaintiffs. She joins us from Birmingham, Alabama.

Prison Labor
Alabama prison strike
Center for Constitutional Rights

Related Podcasts

Involuntary servitude is slavery
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Ending Prison Slavery in California
14 June 2024
Dorsey Nunn recently retired as Executive Director of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (
Black Agenda Radio
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio May 10, 2024
10 May 2024
In this week’s program we discuss a lawsuit filed by incarcerated people in Alabama, asking the state to end involuntary servitude, and also a conv
Black Agenda Radio
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio February 2, 2024
02 February 2024
In this week's segment we hear about abolishing slavery that exists in the incarceration system, and also the second part of our interview on

More Stories


  • POEM: There it is, Jayne Cortez, 2009
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    POEM: There it is, Jayne Cortez, 2009
    19 Oct 2022
    The late Jayne Cortez spits fire, reminding us of the need to fight, resist, organize, and unify to seize power. You should read her NOW.
  • Tulsi Gabbard May Have Left the Democratic Party, But She Isn’t Helping the Left
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    Tulsi Gabbard May Have Left the Democratic Party, But She Isn’t Helping the Left
    19 Oct 2022
    Tulsi Gabbard cultivated an image as an anti-war progressive, but her endorsement of Joe Biden, and support for conservative positions culminated in an exit from the democratic party which revealed…
  • We were L.A.—way before they…
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    We were L.A.—way before they…
    19 Oct 2022
    “Ignorance allied with power   is the most ferocious enemy   justice can have.”   —James Baldwin
  • BAR Book Forum: Vincent Lloyd’s Book, “Black Dignity”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Vincent Lloyd’s Book, “Black Dignity”
    19 Oct 2022
    This week’s featured author is Vincent Lloyd. Lloyd is professor of theology and religious studies and the director of the Center for Political Theology at Villanova University. His book is Black…
  • The Black Alliance for Peace Opposes Biden Administration’s Security Council Resolution on Haiti and Calls for its Veto
    Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team
    The Black Alliance for Peace Opposes Biden Administration’s Security Council Resolution on Haiti and Calls for its Veto
    19 Oct 2022
    The Haiti/Americas Team of Black Alliance for Peace explains that Haiti's problems are caused by the imperialist gang, who stymy Haitian sovereignty and self-determination at every turn. The next…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us