Urban communities and people of color continue to be disparaged by any number of quality of life indicators in 2019 as were identified in 1968. This article examines the evolution of state-sponsored disenfranchisement in the United States and identifies faith and nonprofit institutions as progressive allies in the fight against systemic injustice for communities of color. First, the article uses the Kerner Report to contextualize the heightened surveillance of Black residents and the occupation of their neighborhoods by police in response to the urban rights of the 1960s. The second part examines disenfranchisement as tools of state-sponsored oppression and their long-standing implication for Black people. The final section of the article illuminates the collaborative relationship between faith and nonprofit leaders with community members to advance rights restoration reform in the state of Florida.
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