The Nation’s Leading Organization Advancing the Wellbeing of Children and Young Adults with Incarcerated Parents.
WHO WE ARE
“The first of its kind.
WE GOT US NOW is a national innovation hub and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to advancing the wellbeing of children and young adults impacted by parental incarceration.”
EBONY UNDERWOOD, FOUNDER & CEO OF WE GOT US NOW
This is not a monolithic issue.
“WE GOT US NOW was established to recognize ALL children and young adults who’ve experienced having a parent(s) in local jails, state prisons and federal correctional facilities to ensure that,”
We are the collective authors of our personal narratives.
We work to eliminate the trauma, stigma, shame of parental incarceration
We expose the carceral mechanisms that continue to harm children of incarcerated parents.
We seek justice and accountability for our marginalized population.
ABOUT THE 10 MILLION
“We represent an invisible population of children & young adults impacted by parental incarceration.
There are over 10M of us Nationwide.
We endure the Collateral Consequences of mass incarceration in the United States.
Our Stories are often Unknown & Untold, Our Traumas are Misdiagnosed & Overlooked,
Our Futures are often Misrepresented and Our Experiences are Unheard…
We will No Longer be Silenced by our Pain.
- Ebony Underwood, Founder & CEO of WE GOT US NOW
GET INVOLVED
“Mass Incarceration is a Tsunami that has ripped apart families & destroyed communities”
MAKE AN IMPACT
OUR MISSION
“WE GOT US NOW is a national innovation hub and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit built and led by daughters and sons who fuse the lived experience of parental incarceration with subject-matter expertise shaped by that reality.
Our mission is to advance the well-being of children and young adults impacted by parental incarceration—from cradle to career—by transforming systems’ capacity to ensure this population is seen, valued, and actively centered in improvements to their overall lives. Guided by our four guiding principles—ENGAGE, EDUCATE, ELEVATE, and EMPOWER—we design strengths-based models of programming that address trauma, stigma, shame, and isolation caused by parental incarceration.
As a field catalyst, WE GOT US NOW builds authentic community with allies, stakeholders, policymakers, and strategic partners; shifts public narratives through powerful awareness campaigns; provides leadership development for the next generation; offers technical advisement to systems in healthcare, higher education, economic mobility, and digital technology; and drives meaningful policy and practice changes that keep families connected and improve long-term outcomes for children who continue to be harmed by the separation caused by parental incarceration—for as long as jails and prisons exist.”