You don’t have to face your loved one’s incarceration alone. That’s the powerful promise behind the Healing to Advocacy Program, a free, nine-week journey designed for women and gender-expansive people with loved ones behind bars. 12 to 15 cohort participants move through collective healing, guided by an Essie Sister, someone who’s already completed the program and lived the struggle firsthand.
Essie Justice Group removes common barriers by providing healthy meals, onsite childcare through EssieKids!, and transportation so nobody is left behind.
This isn’t just therapy; it’s a transformation. Graduates aren’t just healing; they’re stepping into leadership. After finishing the program, Sisters take a membership pledge, attend a graduation ceremony, and are invited to power a movement, from campaigning and peer support to speaking with policymakers, holding press conferences, and organizing with a national network.
Why center women with incarcerated loved ones? Because we’ve been the quiet backbone of their families, shouldering emotional and economic burdens under invisible strain. Yet for too long, our leadership has gone unrecognized. Essie Justice Group flips that script, organizing and uplifting this expertise as a force for systemic change.
1 in 4 Women and 1 in 2 Black Women Have an Incarcerated Loved One
Why This Matters — And What You Can Do
Essie’s Healing to Advocacy Cohort isn’t a support group, it’s a launchpad.
It breaks through isolation, nurtures wellness, and activates powerful leadership. Participants leave not just healed, but ready to reshape policies and communities.
Take action:
- If you (or someone you know) are a woman or gender-expansive person with an incarcerated loved one, consider joining or nominating them.
- If you believe in healing as strategy, spread the word. Help build a movement shaped by the people most impacted by criminal legal systems.
At Clutch Justice, we stand with movements that lift, empower, and disrupt on purpose. This is how you make accountability—and healing—unstoppable.
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