New Cause - Criminal Justice Reform

In May, the country and world came together, once again, to fight for Black Lives Matter. 

It’s happened before, decades and over a century ago. 

Yet where are we now? Some progress? On paper? This time, quarantine pushed digital to the forefront as the human connection. This time it seemed different. Fighting for what’s right. Fighting against the system. For many people of color, it is exhausting and what they have always been fighting for.

Systemic racism still exists. It hasn’t gone away no matter how much the public opinion has swayed.

This was our statement released back in May. What wasn’t said or shown, was the underlying anger that we are still fighting for Black Lives Matter. Why is systemic racism still a thing? Why has it continued for so long. When will it end? We believe in equality and won’t stop fighting until it’s been achieved for everyBODY.

“To stay silent is to be complicit. We at MamaP believe #BlackLivesMatter and we stand with activists who are demanding change. Equality is what bands us together as a human race. It's clear there is progress yet to be made. To everyone who is hurting, feeling pain, or just angry, we see you, we feel you, we are with you. While some of us are on the ground joining local rallies, not everyone may be able to do that. We've put together a few things you can do to take action. To the black community, we are with you and we support you.”

A lot of people posted a black square for the Black Out Tuesday - SO NOW WHAT?

There are a lot of issues affecting the black community - and other communities of color in the US. From police profiling and brutality, redlining, discrimination, unequal pay, and incarceration rates - and the list can go on.

Change needs to happen in order for a truly equal world.

Seeing protestors fighting for justice with a focus on police is only touching the beginning of the funnel. What about people who are incarcerated and who have been for years or even decades? Especially before social media and news coverage allowed for a light to be shined? Don’t they deserve to be freed from their wrongful convictions?

1 in 4 people on Earth are locked up in the Land Of The Free

Around 2.3 million Americans are currently incarcerated. Of that number, 40.2% are Black men. Consider that Black men make up only about 6.5% of the US population. As Senator Cory Booker states, “Right now, we now have more African-Americans under criminal supervision than all the slaves back in 1850s.” 

We haven't even folded in all people of color.

This past Juneteenth, we wrote about modern day slavery and how we can break the cycle. Click here to read Juneteenth: A Look In The Past + Present.

Our Solution To Affecting Change: THE MELANIN 5-PACK FOR REFORM.

Why does skin color cause discrimination and injustice? The color of people’s skin is incredibly beautiful and unique. Our new colors are inspired by beautiful and melanin-rich skin tones. 

Melanin is in all of us, it’s what connects us all to one another. Some people have more melanin which makes their skin tanned or darker. This is what we are celebrating. The beauty of melanin and showcasing different shades of people of color.

To see more product photos - click here

 

Since May, our customers, retailers, and friends have been asking for a cause that supported equality and the Black Lives Matter movement. It took us time to find a cause where we could really lean into. Criminal Justice Reform is one where we are so passionate about making changes, now. There are people within the criminal justice system who have not received fair and just treatment, and we want to help them through a non-profit. Just as we support other non-profits annually, we are adding Reform to our causes.

The Innocence Files Series on Netflix highlights The Innocence Project's work to free wrongfully convicted and incarcerated people.

Through extensive research, we found this incredible non-profit called The Innocence Project. Their mission is to free the staggering number of innocent people who remain incarcerated, and to bring reform to the system responsible for their unjust imprisonment. The four areas they specialize in are:

• Exonerate - the innocent wrongfully convicted
• Improve - case law
• Reform - pass laws and implement policy
• Support - reintegrate the exonerated

When researching non-profits, we rely on Charity Navigator to help us understand how they are operated and how funds are used. Charity Navigator rates The Innocence Project at 100 - that’s really high. It signals they open themselves to annual auditing and are financially transparent.

Here you can see how their program expenses are used.

MORE ABOUT THE NEW REFORM LINE

MamaP, is a purpose-led beauty and wellness company, and we’re adding new colors by introducing the Melanin 5-Pack.

The set of five bamboo toothbrushes—each painted with a different skin tone using non-toxic paint—features a choice of soft or medium nylon flossing toothbrush bristles as well as a fully compostable bamboo handle packaged in recyclable kraft paper boxes. The Melanin 5-Pack, $30, will be available for purchase in time for holiday shopping at mamap.life, Amazon and select retailers across the country. 

 

And, like MamaP’s other color-coded bamboo toothbrushes that contribute to different social justice and environmental causes, including Planned Parenthood, the Trevor Project and the Ocean Foundation, a portion of sales from the company’s latest introduction will support criminal justice reform. 

Your brush. Your cause. Your choice. Brush with a purpose.

To see more product photos - click here

To purchase the Melanin 5-Pack - click here

 

 

About MamaP
Founded in 2017, MamaP’s mantra is “goodbye plastic, hello Earth-friendly bamboo.” Maker of bamboo toothbrushes for adults and children, as well as personal care accessories such as toothbrush travel bags and drying stands, MamaP is 100% female- and minority-owned; therefore, principles of diversity and inclusion are integral to who they are and how they operate. What’s more, MamaP works with a female-owned, family-run bamboo toothbrush factory, as well as female-owned textile companies. MamaP is a member of 1% for the Planet.

About Suzan Hernandez

 I started MamaP for two reasons: to reduce the amount of plastic in the bathroom with an easy, colorful swap, and to support causes that I care about, such as climate change, human rights and mental health. With the Melanin 5-Pack, I’ve chosen The Innocence Project, which is devoted to freeing the wrongly incarcerated and bringing reform to the criminal justice system. I’m multiracial—my parents are from the US and Mexico—so I want to contribute to the conversation about race in a healthy way (brush your teeth every day!) and also culturally. At the end of the day, melanin is a trait that connects every single one us, it’s just different for each person.