Yesterday we hosted a Coffee & Learn webinar, and the topic presented was People First Mississippi.
This movement was first started by fwd.us and we’re on a mission to amplify the People First movement here in Mississippi.
We as system-impacted individuals are calling on the media and community members to stop using dehumanizing jargon of the criminal justice system and commit to using people first language.
Some journalists and community members have supported the movement by no longer using harmful terms such as “convict” or “criminal” as a result, and the broader People First movement has achieved meaningful and long-overdue shifts in how the press and community members talk about marginalized, targeted, and oppressed people in the areas of immigration, and LGBTQ+ and disability rights, among others.
Learn more about the People First Movement by reading this research report that was conducted by fwd.us: www.fwd.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/PF_PDF_report_final.pdf.
It's time to stop the use of criminal justice jargon and move towards #peoplefirst language.