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Statement

At Last! Tennessee Governor Frees Cyntoia Brown, Victim of Trafficking Who Was Unjustly Convicted

January 7, 2019
School-to-Prison Pipeline

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

Statement of Beatriz Beckford, campaign director, and Monifa Bandele, senior vice president of MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s decision to grant clemency to Cyntoia Brown.

“Fair-minded people across the country are celebrating today’s long overdue move by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam to grant clemency to Cyntoia Brown, a victim of sex trafficking who has already served 15 years in prison. We applaud Gov. Haslam for taking this step.

“Cyntoia deserves to be free. Our justice system failed her again and again – first, by failing to protect her when she became a victim of sex trafficking at age 16, then by trying her as an adult when she was still underage, and finally by sentencing her to life in prison for defending herself against a 43-year-old armed child predator who had kidnapped and sexually assaulted her. This cruel and unusual punishment flew in the face of our country’s standards for sentencing children and it was past time for it to end.

“We believe Brown should be freed now and not have to wait until August 7 but are grateful that her horrific ordeal will soon end and she will finally be free.

“MomsRising followed the outstanding leadership of Black Lives Matter Nashville, which organized tirelessly to bring this injustice to Gov. Haslam’s attention and convince him to do the right thing by bringing Cyntoia Brown home. More than 16,000 MomsRising members signed petitions to Governor Haslam to press for clemency. We thank all of the allies, including Color of Change, Movement for Black Lives, and #MeToo for fighting for Cyntoia with us.

“MomsRising will continue fighting against the injustices that pervade our legal system that so often criminalize and penalize Black youth, and for survivors of sex trafficking.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.