Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC)

New Orleans, LA

Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) is a statewide, grassroots, membership-based, intergenerational organization working to transform systems that put children at risk of prison. FLLIC was founded in 2001 by a group of Black parents, mostly mothers, who came together to support one another as their children were targeted by systems of oppression and caught up in Louisiana’s violent and ineffective youth incarceration system. The group organized and led the charge for long-term policy reforms and effectively closed the Tallulah Youth Correctional Facility in 2003.

FFLIC was founded on the belief that people are the power and that those most directly impacted are the leaders of permanent change. Our goal is to dismantle systems of racism by uplifting intergenerational Black leaders and the communities with the lived experience of racial oppression. Though we know it is harder for Black-led organizations to survive and thrive, in the last two decades, FFLIC has successfully continued the fight to eradicate youth prisons, build collective power for directly impacted families, and dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. FFLIC is now closer than ever to realizing our founding goals with the launch of our youth-led LA HOOP Coalition (Harvesting Opportunities Outside of Prison) and our #NoMorePrisons campaign.

mission

FFLIC's mission is to create a better life for all of Louisiana’s youth, especially those involved in or targeted by the youth justice system. As mothers and fathers, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and allies, FFLIC implements a model of organizing that's people- and community-centered, explicitly anti-racist, and reflects the communities we come from. Through empowerment, transformative leadership, restorative programs, and training we strive to keep children from going to prison and support those who have and their families. From the street level to the state level, from our meeting rooms to the state capitol, we are working to build a society based on the principles of racial justice, human rights, and full participation through our tireless fight for justice for youth.

@FFLICLA