Google has partnered with non-profit organizations to help children reach out to their fathers in prison. Besides offering hope and happiness to those on both sides of the wall, the campaign helps to shed light on the conflict of mass incarceration in the United States.
GOOGLE TAKES A STAND AGAINST INCARCERATION
This past Mother’s Day, Google teamed up with criminal justice groups to help children send videos to their moms in prison. Now, a month later, it’s the father’s turn to receive some love. Created with non-profit groups Pops the Club and Place4Grace, Google’s campaign looks to link children with their fathers behind bars as well as bring attention to a much larger problem in the country. Mass incarceration is a major issue in the United States. 5% of Earth’s population calls America home and a quarter of the world’s prison population does too. Putting someone in prison for their crimes is supposed to be a punishment for the criminal alone, but it has some unfortunate side effects.
CHILDREN OF PRISONERS LINKED TO DEPRESSION
According to a study by the University of California, children with an incarcerated parent are three times more likely to have developmental issues like depression. Right now there are 2.7 million American children with a parent behind bars. Of these, it seems African American children are the most affected. This group is 7.5 times more likely to have a parent in prison compared to those of white children. For reasons like this, Google looks to extend its helpful reach to this troubled sect of society.
THE FIGHT FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
The fight for racial justice is an ongoing one and Google hopes their help can put an end to it. In February, when the company first announced they would be focusing on racial justice, they gave out $3 million to various organizations involved in the cause. According to David Drummond, vice president of development for Alphabet, they “like disruption”. Hopefully, their rebellious ways can help put an end to the trauma millions of children face every day, due to America’s corrupt criminal justice system.
