About Us
The Gathering for Justice (The Gathering) is a social justice organization founded in 2005, by the late great activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte dedicated to shifting culture toward justice in the criminal legal system. Led by Carmen Perez since 2010, The Gathering utilizes Kingian nonviolence as a social application for change and civic engagement. The Gathering works to build and sustain the movement for racial equity and justice in the U.S. by engaging artists and cultural leaders for grassroots mobilization, consulting and advising on legislative initiatives for policy change, and organizing in local, state, and national communities to increase civic engagement.
THE BELAFONTE LEGACY
Perhaps its greatest distinction, The Gathering for Justice is the embodiment of Mr. Belafonte’s life-long passion for social justice. In 2005, he founded The Gathering for Justice, driven by the shocking news of a 5-year-old Black girl, Jaiesha Scott, being unjustly handcuffed and arrested in her Florida classroom for simply being “unruly.” Mr. Belafonte's unwavering commitment to achieving racial justice and building the beloved community never faltered until his passing on April 25, 2023, at 96-years-old.
His vision for the movement was institutionalized through the founding of The Gathering for Justice: a commitment to ending child incarceration; being a bridge that connects the wisdom of the elders and harnesses the energy of youth; and building the next generation of movement leaders. In addition, the organization’s rare ability to engage the entertainment industry and leverage the arts to influence public thinking and decisions is modeled on Mr. Belafonte’s relentless activism as a world-celebrated entertainer.
Even more rare was the authenticity that Mr. Belafonte brought to the work, demonstrated by his deep, daily investment in TGFJ’s success over its 18 year history, including the mentorship of the organization’s President and CEO, Carmen Perez-Jordan. As Carmen shared:
“Mr. B had a rare gift of foresight, which enabled him to look beyond his time and connect every aspect of life to a historical perspective. For over two decades, I had the honor and privilege of sitting under his tutelage and learning from this incredible giant of a man. Mr. B's unwavering faith in my abilities, even as a Chicana from the small town of Oxnard, was a catalyst that propelled me to lead his organization, The Gathering for Justice in 2010.”
- Carmen Perez-Jordan
The Gathering incorporated in January 2015 and in April 2015 was awarded its 501C3 non-profit status.
OUR HISTORY
From its inception, The Gathering for Justice has provided a safe environment for policy and model exchange, and dialogue between generations of activists, community members, formerly incarcerated individuals, street organizations, and academics from all communities and cultures. In order to facilitate these intergenerational conversations, The Gathering enlisted tactical support from The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the youth divisions of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the NAACP, and the Congress on Racial Equality, among others.
This strategic planning led to years of Gathering retreats in communities all over the country including in Epps, Alabama with the initial Gathering of the Elders and Youth primarily from the black community, and Santa Cruz where we built with the Latino community, and to the Onondaga Nation to bring the indigenous youth into the conversation, and in Orange County, California where we engaged the youth leaders from the Asian and Pacific Islander community, and on to the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee, where The Gathering gave the white coal miners and those victimized by justice miscarried, the opportunity to instruct our black and brown communities and youth about the commonality of class experience and poverty across racial lines. These Gatherings revealed to the youth assembled that there were powerful parallels in their civil and human rights struggle in this country. And that message of inclusivity, that work of uncovering the common ground that unites peoples from diverse communities – that is the best work of The Gathering. And that work continues and is more vital than ever today.