Criminal Justice

Addressing issues of inequities in the criminal justice system and making changes in the treatment of people of color in the enforcement of the law. We supported the successful elimination of fees and fines for indigent people and the successful reduction of the use of cash bail in criminal cases.

Prison Reform

Advocating to make all California prisons places for rehabilitation and not punishment by meeting with legislators and members of the Governor’s staff to encourage them to introduce bills or make administrative changes that will help inmates turn their lives around and be prepared to succeed when they reenter society. 

Parole Reform

Successfully advocating that the California Parole Board (BPH) be expanded from 15 to 17 commissioners and that more commissioners be therapists and clergy. In 2018, for the first time in many years, more people were discharged from California prisons than were admitted. 

Institutional Racism

Sponsoring seminars and forums like this one, the Unity Group seeks to educate and inform the community about some of the inequalities that exist in our community that many people are not aware of in their daily life. In one of the most progressive cities in the United States, we continue to experience disproportionate arrests of people of color; harsher sentences for defendants of color; disproportionate school suspensions for students of color; and economic disparities between workers of color and white employees. 

Economic Equity

Advocating for equal educational and vocational opportunities for communities of color, we have been a steadfast advocate and champion. We brought a bill to Assemblyman Chiu that was eventually signed into law that eliminated the ban that prevented people with felony convictions from obtaining over 200 occupational separate licenses.

Elections

Working with national groups to call potential voters in red and purple states to encourage them to register and vote, Unity Group members had an impact in 2019 and 2020 will have a larger impact in 2022 and 2024. 

Secure Housing

Advocating for health equity on the local and state level: homelessness, life expectancy and abortion/reproductive rights.

Our October 2nd Forum “Housing is Health”, addressed San Franciscans’ number one concern homelessness. Although the African American population makes up only 5% of San Francisco’s population, they make up approximately 36% of the homeless population. This disproportionately high percentage of homeless Black San Franciscans is the result of a history of structural racism across socio-economic, health and housing fronts. Addressing these inequities will require focused political will. The money is there, the political will is not.

Life Expectancy

Responding to a recent landmark study showing that in 2019, the life expectancy for Black Non-Hispanic people in San Francisco was more than 10 years below the life expectancy for all groups collectively, we made a public comment to the San Francisco Health Commission on 9/6/2022 asking the commission to critically examine why these disparities persist despite all the tools being used already to address them.

Reproductive Rights

In the aftermath of the USSC’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, we joined the California Future of Abortion Council campaign coalition to advocate collaboratively for statutory and constitutional changes and funding necessary to improve access to abortion care, support abortion providers and address gaps in the health care system, including endorsing Prop 1, which enshrined the right to abortion and contraceptives in the California State Constitution. In December 2022, we were accepted as a member of the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom. CCRF is a statewide coalition of more than 40 organizations working to promote sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice. CCRF supports and facilitates member-driven initiatives including strategic communication, collaboration and collective policy advocacy to benefit California’s diverse communities.

We have been actively advocating for CCRF endorsed bills by submitting individual letters of support as well as signing CCRF coalition letters.

https://www.reproductivefreedomca.org/