Fundraiser: The Massachusetts Bail Fund + Black and Pink



The Carpenter Center in Support of Black Lives

As an institution that supports living artists, we are dedicated to ideals of experimentation, cross-disciplinary research, and individual expression in pursuit of complex truths. Intrinsic to this purpose is our belief in the basic importance of diverse perspectives and the value of human life over capital. To that end, we feel compelled to support those fighting against white supremacy and state-sanctioned violence.

We are raising funds for two organizations: The Massachusetts Bail Fund and Black and Pink.

• Donate $50 or more to either of these organizations and we will send you a Carpenter Center tote bag as an expression of thanks.

• Donate $100 or more and we will also send you a book from our catalogue: Tony Cokes, If Ur Reading This It’s 2 Late: Vol. 1–3, Liz Magor: BLOWOUT, or Anna Oppermann: Drawings. You will be able to rank your preference.

• A donation in any amount will receive a Tony Cokes mini-poster.
 

How to Donate

Send your donation directly to The Massachusetts Bail Fund or Black and Pink and take a screenshot of your receipt. Donations to Black and Pink can be directed to the organization or its COVID-19 efforts.

FILL OUT THE FOLLOWING FORM AND UPLOAD YOUR RECEIPT.

We will be in touch over email to confirm your donation. Because our building is closed and we are following social distancing protocols, it may take us longer than usual to mail your gift. Unfortunately, we cannot fulfill international orders at this time. Please reach out to donate_ccva@fas.harvard.edu with any questions or concerns.
 

More About This Effort

Going forward, proceeds from our tote bag sales will be directed towards local nonprofits working at the intersections of art and social justice. As a free, non-collecting, contemporary art center oriented towards pedagogy, we believe it is our duty to support our community with direct aid, and to plan long-term strategies for amplifying diverse voices and advocating for meaningful social change. In this moment, we are following the lead of matchmeharvard.com and the Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign and supporting organizations fighting against the prison-industrial complex and its role perpetuating the American institution of slavery in spirit and in practice.
 

About The Massachusetts Bail Fund

The Massachusetts Bail Fund pays up to $2000 bail so that low-income people can stay free while working towards resolving their case, allowing individuals, families, and communities to stay productive, together, and stable. The Massachusetts Bail Fund is committed to the harm reduction of freeing individuals serving pre-trial sentences; to abolishing pre-trial detention and supervision in the long-term. Massachusetts jails are filled with people awaiting trial simply because they cannot afford bail. Bail leads to longer incarcerations, lost jobs, lost housing, and devastated families.

We have chosen the Massachusetts Bail Fund because we support de-densification of prisons, an urgent demand made more urgent by the threat of COVID-19. Furthermore, we believe that the arrest of protesters contradicts the constitutional right of assembly and that incarceration jeopardizes an individual’s right to vote. Defending our democracy is crucial.
 

About Black and Pink

Black and Pink is a national prison abolitionist organization dedicated to dismantling the criminal punishment system. Black and Pink supports current and previously incarcerated LGBTQIA+ people and others living with HIV/AIDS who are affected by this system through advocacy, education, direct service, and organizing towards reform. Black and Pink chapters center formerly incarcerated people as leaders and guides to abolish the prison industrial complex. They believe that those most hurt by the prison industrial complex's violence know how to tear it down.

We have chosen Black and Pink because of the various types of support they offer to currently incarcerated and previously incarcerated people from the vast queer community. Their pedagogy centers vulnerable Black and Indigenous transwomen because of intersectional discrimination against their race, gender, and sexuality. Black and Pink was founded in Boston, in 2005, and maintains an active Boston chapter. Please visit their website to join their pen pal program or to volunteer.