KATAL CENTER FOR EQUITY HEALTH AND JUSTICE

We launched in 2016 with three big, interrelated goals:

· building leadership and organizing capacity of neighborhood residents, as well as organizers, advocates, and community groups, to effectively drive and shape systemic change;

· ending mass criminalization, mass incarceration, and the war on drugs; and

· advancing solutions to promote and secure health, equity, and justice

We work at the municipal and state level to end mass incarceration and the drug war in Connecticut and New York. Building leadership and developing the organizing capacity of directly impacted people and local groups is at the core of our mission and approach, informing every aspect of what we do. Through organizing and leadership development, we seek to strengthen communities and sustain the impact of our work together. We believe that with the right mix of strategies and tactics, utilizing multiple methods for change (organizing, advocacy, research, education, arts/cultural work, and more), and with the right collaborations and partnerships, together we can advance the agenda to finally end mass incarceration and the drug war in CT and NY, and show the country a path to a equitable, healthy, safe, and just future.

Here's how we approach our work with our talented staff:

· Develop and execute high-impact organizing and advocacy reform campaigns at the state and municipal level, frequently through collaborations with partner organizations who share our values.

· Build leadership and organizing capacity of directly impacted people and local groups –especially among people most impacted by policies we want to change

· Leverage work at the municipal and county level to advance state-based reforms.

· Utilize public health research, tools, and methodologies.

· Provide training and technical assistance for organizing, campaign development, advocacy, communications, and more.

· Measure and evaluate the impact of our work and its transactional and transformational outcomes.

· Practice facilitative leadership, a co-creative model centered on deep collaboration.

· Provide capacity for increased civic engagement and opportunities to learn and exercise political education

During this extraordinary year, Katal has remained focused on organizing for equity, health, and justice. Here are some of the year’s highlights:

-Transforming parole and getting people free: In New York State, our focus in 2022 was making sure that the Less Is More parole bill – which reforms how the state manages noncriminal technical violations of parole – was properly implemented. (We passed this law with our campaign partners in 2021.) We organized people who are on parole and their families, monitored the implementation process, met regularly with elected officials and liaisons from the
governor’s office, fought back against ridiculous lies from opponents of reform, held more than two dozen community forums and education sessions across the state, and more.

-COVID-19 and #CutShutInvest in Connecticut: Even as many political leaders tried to “move on” from the pandemic, COVID-19 remains a leading cause of death in the United States – especially among older adults – and is especially devastating behind bars. In Connecticut, we organized to raise awareness about the impact of the coronavirus in jails and prisons, demand action to keep incarcerated people safe, and hold Governor Ned Lamont and the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) accountable. Our actions included a protest and rally on the last day of the legislative session outside the State Capitol in Hartford, followed by a march into the capitol building to stage a die-in. In September we organized an action outside the DOC headquarters, honoring those who had died of COVID while incarcerated in Connecticut, and raising the voices of the families impacted by the inaction of Lamont and his administration.

-Building Leadership and Organizing Capacity (BLOC): Our popular BLOC program continued to grow. We brought on new apprentice organizers and a new policy fellow. We provided hundreds of coaching hours to organizers and advocates in Connecticut, New York, and around the country. We conducted dozens of trainings with students, organizers, activists, funders, and others. We served as speakers or presenters at nearly two dozen events. And we
laid the groundwork for expanding our BLOC Roundtables in 2023!

As part of our organizing work, we published dozens of press releases about our campaigns and actions in Connecticut and New York, bringing attention to a range of issues and uplifting the voices of our members, partners, and allies. These releases provide detailed summaries of our actions, announcements, and statements throughout the year. And, of course, we sent weekly state-specific updates to our followers in Connecticut and New York, highlighting the work of Katal, our partners, and the movement.

We kept up a dizzying pace in 2022. And we’ve got big plans for 2023 as we continue to organize for equity, health, and justice.