How Phase III came to be

January 2, 2024
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By Nick Chrastil for NOLA Lens
Though they once applauded the jail’s ambitious, federally overseen reforms, community groups and political leaders in New Orleans united in opposition to a key mandate stemming from those efforts: the construction of a $109 million mental health jail. Mayors agreed to it, opposed it, agreed to it again, and opposed it again. Multiple working groups met to produce lengthy reports on it, and possible alternatives. Advocates tried to stop its construction by blocking zoning permits, funding allocations, and attempting to influence FEMA environmental-impact statements. They camped out in front of City Hall, organized a letter-writing campaign to a federal judge and held rallies and second lines in opposition. A reform candidate ran for sheriff touting her disapproval of it — and won. ...
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Activists who engage with voters of color are looking for messages that will resonate in 2024

December 30, 2023
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By Ayanna Alexander and Gary Fields for AP News
WASHINGTON (AP) — This year’s elections in Louisiana didn’t go the way that voting rights advocate Ashley Shelton had hoped, with the far-right conservative attorney general replacing a term-limited Democratic governor and consolidating Republican control in the state. Turnout was just 37%, despite the efforts of activists like her. “Even when you work hard and you do all the things you’re supposed to, you get an unfortunate outcome, which was these statewide elections,” said Shelton, the executive director of Power Coalition for Equity & Justice in Louisiana....
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It Takes A Village: New Orleans Group Partners With Others To Get Out The Vote

December 29, 2023
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Rachel Thomas, KSLA News 12
At a recent listening session, Ashley Shelton, founder and executive director of the New Orleans-based nonprofit Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, learned something about why Louisiana’s Black vote in November’s statewide general elections was the lowest in more than a decade. “Nothing is changed in my life,” a Black, middle-aged contractor told the group, beginning an exchange with Shelton about how the 2024 elections will affect his life....
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Judge makes ruling in Caddo Parish sheriff recount lawsuit

December 5, 2023
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Rachel Thomas, KSLA News 12
CADDO PARISH, La. (KSLA) – Retired Louisiana Supreme Court Justice E. Joseph Bleich has made a ruling in the election lawsuit filed by Caddo Parish sheriff candidate, John Nickelson. That ruling came down Tuesday, Dec. 5. The judge ruled the results of the Nov. 18 runoff election, in which Henry Whitehorn defeated Nickelson by one vote, are declared void. It was further ordered a new runoff election shall be conducted. It’s expected that Whitehorn’s team will appeal this decision. They have until 9:56 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 8 to do so. The ruling states “it was proven beyond any doubt that there were at least 11 illegal votes cast and counted” and that it is “legally impossible to know what the true vote should have been.”...
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Democrats Held Off the GOP in Legislative Races This Year, Again Bucking Expectations

November 21, 2023
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Daniel Nichanian, BOLTS
“When you gerrymander people’s power away, you can’t elect candidates of choice,” says Ashley Shelton, executive director of Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, a Louisiana organization that focuses on voter outreach. “We understand the power of gerrymandering: It’s not that Black people don’t care or don’t want to vote, it’s that the power of their vote has been lessened....
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To Have Hope, We Need Joy

November 15, 2023
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Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice
“If you can’t figure it out in Louisiana, you can’t figure it out anywhere,” says Ashley Shelton, Executive Director of Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. As leader of one of the state’s most powerful civic engagement tables, she sees the abysmally low voter turnout in last month’s gubernatorial election — just 36 percent, the lowest in a decade — and the hard right state government it portends as a call to action, not a time to throw in the towel....
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‘1619 Project’ docuseries  gives voice to untold history

January 27, 2023
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by Lottie L. Joiner for Verite
In the trailer for the new Hulu docuseries on the groundbreaking “1619 Project,” creator and host Nikole Hannah-Jones notes that, “No part of America’s story has been untouched by the legacy of slavery.” It was that viewpoint, reframing American history by exploring the impact of slavery and the contributions of African Americans to our nation, that underpinned the project and produced both controversy and revelation.   ...
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HCR 14 Disability Voting Task Force to Reconvene

January 23, 2023
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For Immediate Release:  January 23, 2023 BATON ROUGE, LA— Tomorrow, January 24, 2023, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) will reconvene at 1 p.m. (CST) at the Claiborne Building in the Thomas Jefferson Room with others who are a part of the HCR 14 Disability Voting Task Force. The 13 member group came about after the 2022 Legislative Session as a way to study how the state could expand voting rights for those with disabilities.  “At Power Coalition we’re working to continue expanding voting access in Louisiana. As we work during each election with our partners at Legal Defense Fund (LDF) to provide election protection, we see and hear about the problems voters with disabilities face in Louisiana,” said Ashley Shelton, CEO of PCEJ. “This is a chance for us to work in collaboration, address issues, and positively improve voting through policy recommendations.” The task force group, which started...
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For MLK Holiday, Racial And Social Justice Leaders Urge Policymakers To Emulate Civil Rights Icon

January 15, 2023
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by Editor at NewsOne
As the nation pauses to recognize the 40th installment of the annual federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., a number of racial and social justice leaders are spreading awareness of the civil rights icon’s legacy by urging policymakers to emulate the good reverend doctor while working in their official capacities....
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