Jay-Z and Meek Mill have joined forces to launch a new criminal justice reform organization called “REFORM Alliance,” with Van Jones appointed as the CEO of the organization.
According to Pitchfork, the mission of the organization is to “advance criminal justice reform and eliminate outdated laws that perpetuate injustice, starting with probation and parole.”
Other founding partners and board members include Philadelphia 76ers co-owner and Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin, Kraft Group CEO and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Brooklyn Nets co-owner Clara Wu Tsai, Third Point LLC founder Daniel S. Loeb, Galaxy Digital founder Michael E. Novogratz, and Vista Equity Partners founder Robert F. Smith.
Each of the founding partners has collectively pledged $50 million to launch the organization.
Meek spoke about the organization’s launch in a statement and said, “Creating the REFORM Alliance is one of the most important things I’ve ever done in my life. If you thought my case was unfair, there are millions of others dealing with worse situations and caught up in the system without committing crimes. With this alliance, we want to change outdated laws, give people hope and reform a system that’s stacked against us.”
Back in November, Meek Mill announced in his New York Times piece that he would eventually announce a foundation that was dedicated to “achieving real change,” as he expressed his demands for improved prisoner rights.
Watch this video #REFORM pic.twitter.com/ECoNPg4pRU
— MeekMill (@MeekMill) January 23, 2019
