Our Mission
Sisters Unchained is a prison abolitionist non-profit organization dedicated to supporting young women and girls with incarcerated or formerly incarcerated parents. We are a refuge space where young women of color can focus on loving and improving themselves and their communities in the way they see fit.
Vision
Our abolitionist dream is to break the isolation of daughters with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated parents to realize transformative social change, heal, and reclaim our power in solidarity with all women and girls most impacted by incarceration. Community based alternatives to incarceration will lead us to a more liberated future. We will have transmuted our pain and generational trauma to heal ourselves and communities.
About Us
Sisters Unchained was founded in 2015 by Ayana Aubourg, Meron Teklehaimanot, and Vanessa Ly. Sisters Unchained was launched after the first summer of a pilot program called Coding for Justice, which was created by Andrea James after her release from prison.
Sisters Unchained addresses parental incarceration and the violence of family separation by breaking the isolation between young women with incarcerated parents. We build community and power by focusing on radical education, alternative forms of healing, organizing, and art. In doing so, we create a community of radical love and sisterhood to support each other along our paths towards healing and justice.
Our Team
Vanessa Ly
Co-Founder/Executive Director
Janasia Williams
Program Manager
Ahmari Ly-Johnson
Digital Imaging Technician
Board Members
Ayana Aubourg
Co-Founder/Board Chair