Letter Writing Wednesday #5 ft. Uhuru's Freedom Team

Start: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 11:00 PM GMT

End: Thursday, October 21, 2021 at 12:30 AM GMT

This is a virtual event

light pink background with small white sparkles. in the upper left hand corner text reads "October 20,2021 7pm est." in the middle of the graphic is a darker pink diamond with text along the left side that reads "Free Ashley Now FT. Uhuru's Freedom Team."

Join the #FreeAshleyNOW team for our 5th Letter Writing Wednesday!

We’ll be partnering with Uhuru's survivor defense team for our fifth installment. In Uhuru's words: "I am a 44-year-old Black male from the city of Richmond, Virginia, who has been incarcerated at various prisons in the Virginia Department of Corrections for over 20 consecutive years. I am serving a 93-year prison sentence without the possibility of parole for my participation in a robbery that resulted in the shooting deaths of two innocent people.

Taking into account the fact that I never possessed a firearm, together with the fact that I was barely 18 years old at the time of the crime and having no prior adult felony record or documented history of violence, the sentencing guidelines recommended a maximum prison term of 13 years. The sentencing judge at the time, James B. Wilkinson, ignored the recommendation and sentenced me to an aggregate prison term which, in theory and practice, is tantamount to life in prison term without the possibility of parole.

Two years later, Judge Wilkinson faced heavy scrutiny by local attorneys and was under investigation by the Judicial Inquiry and Review Committee for having a history of disproportionately sentencing Black defendants to unwarranted and excessively long sentences. Having exhausted all available post-conviction remedies in the courts, prisoners like me have few avenues to regain our freedom here in the commonwealth of Virginia." Click here to read more about Uhuru's story.

Accessibility: We will have two certified ASL interpreters, and automated zoom captions. Please let us know any other accessibility needs at freeashleydiamondnow@gmail.com.

Event Schedule:

7-8pm EST

Presentation & Special Speakers

8-8:30pm EST

Letter Writing

Learn more about the #FreeAshleyNow campaign & how to support here.

To read Uhuru's writing and take action, check out his Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Registration is Closed