Our Voice by Derrick Washington

We are building this movement together because we know our power comes from each other. Our fight for voting rights began inside Massachusetts' maximum-security prison, forged in the face of relentless abuse, racism, and dehumanization. The horrors of January 10, 2020, when incarcerated people were brutalized by officers—bitten by K-9s, shot in the face with high-powered pellet rifles, and tased into paralysis while being called slurs—made one truth undeniable: inside these walls, we are seen as property, not people.

This reality pushed many of us to study the 13th Amendment, which promised the abolition of slavery but left a loophole that continues to enslave us through incarceration. A slave is the property of another, and in prison, we are given state ID numbers instead of rights. We refuse to accept this. That’s why we started the No Longer 3/5ths Movement—because we are not property. We are people, and we demand full political representation.

Our focus is clear: restoring incarcerated voting rights. In 2000, Massachusetts voters—under then-Governor Cellucci—stripped incarcerated people of their right to vote. Now, we are here to reverse that injustice by putting a statewide ballot question forward to restore voting rights to incarcerated individuals.

This isn’t just about those of us inside. This is about our families, our communities, and the future of justice. Political power shapes our daily lives—who gets prosecuted, how prisons are run, who sits in office. We can elect District Attorneys who decide whom to prosecute, mayors who appoint police commissioners, and governors who oversee prison systems. Right now, every single superintendent in Massachusetts prisons is white. That isn’t a coincidence. The same system that allowed the January 10th attacks is the system that keeps us voiceless.

But we have the power to change it. We are here to mobilize, to collect signatures, and to bring this fight to Worcester and across Massachusetts. To reclaim power, we must build power. We are no longer just spectators. We are organizers, leaders, and change-makers. And together, we will win.