Sophie’s 2026 NOLA to Angola Fundraiser!

Hi everyone :)

I'm incredibly excited to be participating in NOLA to Angola this year, an annual solidarity bicycle ride fundraiser that supports the efforts of organizations working to mitigate and reverse the impacts of the U.S. prison system. 

We will be biking 170 miles from the New Orleans jail to the Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola (read more on Angola's history as a slave plantation and recent expansion as an ICE detention facility here).

Last year, I worked in re-entry at The First 72+, where I sat across from countless clients coming home from decades-long sentences at Angola and other prisons across Louisiana. This year, I am working with the Orleans Public Defenders office, visiting clients every day in jail who are sitting in pre-trial detention, before their charges have even been accepted or refused.

I've been inspired by the incredible work that activists, especially justice-impacted organizers, are doing every day to fight against the prison industry. The fight feels especially urgent in the wake of  New Orleans' 2027 proposed budget, which would increase spending on policing & jails while decreasing spending on public services such as housing, education and public defense.

Any donation helps. A little more on NOLA to Angola below:

Biking each mile in solidarity with families who travel long distances to connect with their incarcerated loved ones, the ride educates people about the ways in which mass incarceration works in tandem with other systems of oppression, such as poverty and white supremacy, to harm members of our communities.

All funds raised will go to the Cornerstone Builders’ Bus Project, which provides free monthly transportation from New Orleans and Shreveport for folks to visit loved ones incarcerated in Louisiana prisons.