1,000 signatures reached
To: South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster
Free Brittany Martin - Black Freedom Fighter and Mama
Brittany Martin is a Black freedom fighter and mama. Like so many, she heeded the call to demand justice for Black people in the wake of a surge in police and racist violence in 2020. Along with hundreds of freedom-loving people, Brittany was a part of a protest in Sumter, South Carolina in the names of #AhmaudArbery, #BreonnaTaylor, #GeorgeFloyd, and countless others.
When confronted by police, the pregnant mother of five, affirmed her love for Black people and made comments that the officer, and later the state, would contend were threats. Brittany was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison. Within the first year of serving her sentence, Brittany was forced to give birth to her youngest child, Blessing, inside, denied the right to mother or breastfeed her infant, had her hair (a religious symbol) forcibly cut, denied attorney visits, been beaten, placed in solitary confinement, and transferred to an out-of-state prison without the knowledge or consent of her family.
Brittany and her family have suffered enough. In a nation that prides itself on freedom of speech, Ms. Martin never should have been arrested or imprisoned in the first place. Brittany’s family, the community, and the nation are calling for the full pardon and immediate release of Brittany Martin.
What happens to Brittany Martin signals whether South Carolina, the criminal legal system, and this nation will stand for its highest ideals or descend into the kind of repressive regime that imprisons people for their beliefs. #FreeBrittanyMartin
Why is this important?
Brittany is one of the most courageous, loving, kind, and visionary human beings on this earth. Even a year after being placed in a cell, removed from her family, and abused by the prison system, she holds a deep and abiding faith. We must not abandon her. We must fight for this Black mama, who fights so valiantly for us. Brittany should be home mothering her children and building towards a more just and free world.
By demanding the pardon and release of Brittany Martin:
-We demonstrate our care for a freedom fighter who put her life and freedom - and that of her unborn child - on the line for Black liberation.
-We challenge a criminal legal system that imprisons people for their beliefs.
-We honor the tradition, affirm our right, and embrace the value of protest in the face of injustice.
By doing the work to #FreeBrittanyMartin, we build towards a nation that doesn't just say #BlackLivesMatter, but makes it so.