Until We Are All Free (UWAAF)

Background

Until We Are All Free was co-founded in 2021 by Kevin Reece and Kahlee Griffey, who were both former inmates in Minnesota. Reece was sentenced to 22 years in prison for second degree felony murder and served a 14.5-year sentence before his release in 2018. ² Griffey was arrested as a minor and sent to a juvenile detention center for six months. ³

Following their release, Reece and Griffey created an organization that provides financial support to inmates and engages in criminal justice policy advocacy. Until We Are All Free upholds that criminal justice policies must be spearheaded by those who have been incarcerated, stating, “Let those who understand the root of the problem create the solution.”  ³ Until We Are All Free lists eight board members, most of whom have been incarcerated. ⁴

Programs

Until We Are All Free created the “Internal Investment Program,” which provides financial support for current inmates in Minnesota correctional facilities. The program provides a budget for books and other educational materials; covers the cost of communication including phone calls and stamps; and creates savings accounts for inmates, to which the organization contributes every month until the inmate is released. ⁵

The “3L” (Land, Learn, and Launch) program is a post-release effort that supports individuals in their first 60 days home from prison. During this period, the former inmate is presented with their savings fund, in addition to welcome-home kits, a clothing and food budget, and a stipend for projects and business ideas. The stipend is designed to cover the costs of business startups, supplies, and general launch costs based on the individual’s career goals. ⁵

Funding

In 2021, the organization received a grant of $150,000 from the Satterberg Foundation, a grantmaking organization that gives primarily to BIPOC communities (Black, indigenous, and people of color). ^{6 7} The Satterberg Foundation funds numerous left-of-center organizations, including a $50,000 grant to Planned Parenthood in 2023 and a $2.5 million grant to Movement for Black Lives in 2020. ⁸

In 2022, Until We Are All Free received $91,500 from Legal Revolution, ⁹ a program that offers legal education to current inmates who aim to pursue a career in law. The program offers legal internships, the LSAT exam, and law degrees to current inmates, which makes Legal Revolution the first program to offer law school from prison.  ¹⁰

Until We Are All Free received $50,000 from the Minnesota Freedom Fund, an organization that pays criminal bail and immigration bonds. ¹¹ The organization advocates for “wide-scale decarceration” and claims that the criminal justice system “upholds white supremacy.” ¹²

Until We Are All Free received a grant of $10,000 from the African American Leadership Forum, which is a think-tank dedicated to addressing the causes of racial injustice. ¹³ The organization advocates for “Black Centered Design” to influence policy, which is an ideology that prioritizes Black people when organizing systems for all, and “Afrofuturism,” which is a “vision of the future through a Black cultural lens.” ¹⁴

Additional donors include Race Forward, the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, and All Square. ^{15 16 17}

Voter Engagement Program

“From the Block to the Ballot” is a movement created by Until We Are All Free that seeks to establish a “voter bloc,” which is a group of voters motivated by a specific common concern that tends to dominate their voting patterns. ^{18 19}

The voter bloc initiative was created following Governor Tim Walz (D) signing a bill that restored voting rights to 55,000 Minnesotans on felony probation. The voter bloc would consist of Minnesotans on felony probation and others who have previously been incarcerated. Until We Are All Free stated that it aims to create a board of leaders who can educate the bloc of voters, expand voter engagement, and eventually engage in policy development and advocacy. ²⁰