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Download the Full 2021 Annual Report
Power Coalition for Equity and Justice is proud to release "Power Building Activate", our 2021 Annual Report. Our team, partners, volunteers, and community worked tirelessly throughout 2021 to increase voter turnout, educate communities about redistricting, advocate for equitable legislation, get people vaccinated, and build power throughout Louisiana. We could not have accomplished this work without you. We hope you are as excited as we are about the results of this work and we look forward to continuing on this path with you in 2022.

With deep gratitude,
The Power Coalition Team

Executive Summary

Building POWER

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2021 Highlights

  • Power Coalition ran statewide GOTV campaigns for all five Louisiana elections in 2021
  • Jumped into action after Hurricane Ida
    • More than $300,000 in grants to over 20 community organizations
    • This included $150,000 in direct cash assistance within a week of the storm
    • Worked with partners in the government’s office to move the election so that community could actively participate
  • Louisiana expanded democracy while much of the country was going in the other direction
    • Act 22 extends the amount of time you can spend in the voting booth 
    • Act 365 extends early voting for presidential elections 
    • VOTE’s leadership passed Act 127 that will make registering to vote easier for people with prior convictions.
  • Over 50 COVID-19 vaccination events with Bring Back Louisiana!
  • Louisiana was the first state to reach vaccinating a higher rate of Black people against COVID-19
  • 14 new She Leads Civic Engagement Fellows
  • Over 500 people trained in equitable redistricting principles 
  • Amendment 1 voted down by Louisiana voters!
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2021 Community Wins

  • Power Coalition and Partners advocated for community members in the Louisiana Legislative Session in 2021.
    • VOTE advocated for Act 121 to end the lifetime jury service ban on people with felony convictions. 
    • VOTE advocated for Act 271 to require that a person is informed about how a felony conviction will impact their lives before they plead guilty to a crime and Act 122 will restore parole eligibility
      to people       after completing 20 years of a sentence and
      reaching 45 years old. 
    • Act 406 prohibits employers from discriminating against people with a criminal history and will help our community access quality jobs! 
    • Companies will be required to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers thanks to Act 393, and health insurance can cover doula and
      midwife services       due to the passage of Act 182.
    • Act 123 eliminates the court costs, fines, and fees on children in the juvenile system. 
  • New Orleans elected its first Black female sheriff due to the dedication of community partners holding candidate forums, talking to communities, and making the issue of justice clear to voters
  • Bring Back Louisiana hosted hundreds of COVID-19 vaccine events across Louisiana, vaccinating thousands of community members and protecting our state from COVID-19. 
  • Rise St. James is pushing back against the petrochemical industry and the development of the Formosa Plant has been put on pause.
  • Women With A Vision in partnership with the Columbia University, Mailmen School hosted a convening to draw the connections between environmental justice and reproductive justice. 
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Our Partners

This work is made possible through deep partnerships with organizations across the state and a coalition of dedicated people that believe a more equitable and just Louisiana is possible.

Executive Committee

Voice of the Experienced (VOTE)

Step Up Louisiana

New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice (NOWCRJ)

VAYLA New Orleans

Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC)

Jericho Road Housing Initiative

Louisiana Budget Project (LBP)

Women with a Vision (WWAV)

Housing NOLA

Louisiana Partnership for Children and Families (LPCF)

Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (LPIC)

Partners 

Black Voters Matter (BVM)

Together Louisiana

Made to Save

Lawyers’ Committee

Louisiana Pan-Hellenic CouncilReady Louisiana Early Childhood Coalition

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Churches and religious institutions

Neighborhood Associations

SPLC

Faith in Action

Bring Back Louisiana

Louisiana Bucket Brigade

and many more Powerful Organizations