New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
1,000 signatures reached
To: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy
Keep Your Promises to Black Voters!
We are asking New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to keep his promises to the 94 percent of Black voters who elected him into office. Without the support of the black community, it's unlikely that Governor Murphy would be New Jersey's governor, given that 53 percent of white voters supported his opponent. We are therefore asking the Governor to commit to taking action on the issues that directly affect New Jersey’s Black community. Specifically, we are asking Governor Murphy to commit to transforming New Jersey's youth justice system, restoring the right to vote to people with criminal convictions, and closing the racial wealth gap.
Why is this important?
The people of New Jersey need your help. In 2017, 94 Percent of Black voters cast their ballots for Governor Murphy. Without this support from the Black community, it is unlikely that Phil Murphy would be New Jersey’s governor—53 percent of white voters supported his opponent. But nine months into his administration, Governor Murphy has not focused on critical issues facing the 94 percent:
1) Transforming New Jersey’s youth justice system: New Jersey has a shameful system of youth incarceration in which a Black child is 30 times more likely to be incarcerated than a white child—the highest disparity in the nation.
2) Restoring the right to vote to people with criminal convictions: New Jersey denies the right to vote to nearly 100,000 people who are in prison, on parole, or on probation. Although Black people make up 15 percent of New Jersey's total population, Black residents represent over 60 percent of the people who lost the right to vote due to a criminal conviction.
3) Closing the racial wealth gap: In New Jersey, one of the wealthiest states in America, the median net worth for New Jersey’s white families is $271,402—the highest in the nation. But the median net worth for New Jersey’s Black families is just $5,900.
We must ensure that Governor Murphy keeps his promises to the Black voters that put him in office.