Jay-Z and Meek Mill have sent 100,000 masks to prisoners amid the global health crisis.
The rappers head up REFORM Alliance, an organization set up to reform the criminal justice system by changing laws and policies, and they have just donated 40K masks to Tennessee, 50K to Rikers Island and 5K to Parchman.
They shared on Twitter: “WE JUST DONATED 100k MASKS TO PEOPLE BEHIND BARS … that includes 50k to #Rikers, 40k to @TNTDOC1 and 5k to #ParchmanPrison … THANK YOU to our friend @ShakaSenghor for leading this charge. We need to protect vulnerable people behind bars & GET THEM OUT!”
While REFORM Alliance’s chief advocacy officer Jessica Jackson told CBS News: “It’s a very vulnerable population. We’re really worried about the number of people coming in and out of the facility, and the fact that the people living there might be sitting ducks during this pandemic.”
The organization is also calling for people to contact their local governors to try and support those in prison.
They shared on their website: “COVID-19 spreads most quickly in crowded and closed environments, and our jails and prisons are at high risk for an outbreak. This is a huge threat to public health. Right now, hardly any government officials have a plan to address this crisis. REFORM does. We have worked with experts and advocates from across the political aisle to develop a set of common-sense recommendations that would make us all SAFER. We urgently need your help to get the attention of public officials. Please raise your voice. We’re all in this together.”
