Demand divestment from forced labor in prisons
From Freedom United
| Last week, we wrote to the presidents of 11 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the U.S., urging them to divest from forced labor in the prison industry by cutting ties with Aramark. Aramark is a food service company that has well-documented links to forced labor within prisons. Can you join our call on HBCUs and all private and public actors to cut ties with forced labor in prisons? |
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| For too long, the American public and private prison industry has gotten away with exploiting the labor of inmates and immigrant detainees, often earning massive profits in the process. In the worst cases, inmate and detainee labor is extracted under threat of penalty or punishment. Many colleges have cut their contracts with Aramark in recent years – including American University, Barnard College, Butler University, Barton College, The University of Chicago, The University of Houston, New York University, and Pacific University. In fact, students at New York University campaigned for the university to sever ties with Aramark specifically because of the company’s links to forced labor in the prison industry.[1] |
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| Our call on HBCUs to divest from Aramark does not seek to undermine the potential positive value of prison labor in rehabilitation when it is provided through a freely agreed contract with the prisoner. But under the current system, there is growing evidence that incarcerated people, who are disproportionately from black and brown communities, are being exploited for cheap labor. That’s why we are calling on all sectors to divest and terminate contracts with abusive facilities and reform contracting so that prisoners and immigrant detainees are paid fair wages. By uniting our voices on this petition, we can build pressure on public and private actors to do the right thing and cut ties with prison slavery. Join the campaign calling to end slavery in the U.S. prison and detention industry today. |
