Honoring The Legacy of Black Resistance and Imagining Black Futures Rooted in Equity
The Black American experience has long been linked to systemic punishment. To create a future free of that experience, we must first envision it. That is what so many Represent Justice Ambassadors help us do through their powerful storytelling and advocacy. They are using their lived experiences within the carceral system to ensure that all of us work to build just and equitable Black futures in the U.S.
Today, Black Americans make up around 13% of the U.S. population, yet they represent roughly 37% of the U.S. prison population. This reflects the deep-seated racial disparities in our systems of punishment and surveillance. (Source: Prison Policy Initiative)
At Represent Justice, many of our system-impacted Ambassadors and film impact campaigns illuminate these inequities from the vantage point of lived experience, transforming statistics into real-life stories that demand change.
Image from Little April by April Grayson.
From April Grayson’s Little April, which exposes the foster-to-prison pipeline’s disproportionate impact on Black youth, to John Pace’s Disrupted, a powerful account of how incarceration fractures Black families and communities, these narratives challenge dominant criminal justice frameworks and center the people who have been most harmed by them.
By elevating system-impacted voices and investing in storytelling as a tool for change, we can build a future where justice is no longer deferred, Black communities are resourced rather than punished, and Black Futures of equity are not only possible but already taking shape.
This month, and every month, we honor the history and legacy of Black resistance and work toward our visions of new futures. Celebrate Black History and Black Futures Month by exploring some of the films within the Represent Justice Network.
Disrupted: 2024 RJ Ambassador John Pace shows a portrait of Philadelphia through the lens of race, class, and incarceration in his film—highlighting how the legacy of slavery is still very much alive in our prison system.
Little April: Like 90% of youth who come to be involved in the justice system, 2021 RJ Ambassador April Grayson has had prior traumatic experiences. Her film highlights how our systems of foster care and incarceration impact the lives of young Black girls and boys, and offers an opening into opportunities for transformation.
Advocacy is Life or Death: 2025 RJ Ambassador Angelique Todd shines a light on how the system often criminalizing young women and girls—particularly Black women and girls—who have experienced sexual violence and trauma.
The Making of A Mask: Looking back on how trauma shaped his own life, 2025 RJ Ambassador Emmanuel “Noble” Williams’ film shows us the devastating link between childhood trauma and mass incarceration.
Change is Possible: The U.S. is the only country that imposes life-without-parole sentences on minors. 2024 RJ Ambassador Eddie Ellis, Jr. lived through it. And now, his film highlights the extreme sentencing and unfair treatment Black and Brown children receive in the carceral system.
It Takes a Village: 2023 RJ Ambassador Nelson Morris was sentenced to life in prison when he was just a teenager. His short film highlights the work he does now, mentoring Black youth in Chicago to make sure they’ve got someone in their corner.
Working in Captivity: In this short film, 2023 RJ Ambassador Waleisah Wilson shows how incarcerated people in Georgia are forced to work under the threat of further punishment.
These are just a few of the Ambassador films that highlight the inequities and injustices in our carceral system. You can find all of the films our Ambassadors worked so hard on here.
