Families and Friends of LA's Incarcerated Children

Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) is committed to building intergenerational Black leadership in the fight for the rights of youth targeted by systems of incarceration and their families.

FFLIC was founded in 2001 on the belief that those most directly impacted should lead permanent change. At that time, parents—mostly Black mothers—came together to support one another and to fight for their children caught up in Louisiana’s brutal and ineffective youth incarceration system. Their very first campaign led to a historic win: the 2004 closure of one of the nation’s worst youth prisons, the Tallulah Youth Correctional Facility.

Our work is rooted in family, community, and the power of lived experience.

Take the story of Tamia and her mother, Tangea. Tamia’s grandmother was one of FFLIC’s founding members, joining the organization after her son—Tamia’s father—was incarcerated as a youth. Tamia grew up attending meetings with her grandmother, and over time, her own passion for justice grew. In high school, Tamia helped co-found a peer support group and became one of the lead organizers behind our No More Prisons campaign.

But Tamia didn’t walk that path alone. Her mother, Tangea, had been driving her to the Capitol, sitting through meetings, and quietly observing her daughters' leadership. Eventually, Tangea saw that advocacy wasn’t just for Tamia—it was for her too. She became a fierce advocate for her other children, especially her son who was being pushed out by the school system. Today, the whole family stands as a testament to FFLIC’s vision: that when we support one member of a family, we ignite the leadership of every generation.

FFLIC continues the fight to eradicate youth prisons, build collective power for directly impacted families, pass critical legislation, and advocate for healthy, functioning support networks through our #LetKidsBeKids platform.

We are proud of our many successes, including our most recent victory: together with the Liberty and Dignity Coalition we won the fight against Amendment 3 which would have funneled more children into the adult system. But our work doesn't stop there.

Our vision is clear: we want healthy, safe communities where every child has full access to education, mental and physical healthcare, and enriching opportunities to thrive.

FFLIC’s history tells a story of resilience and transformation. We have achieved the impossible—and that gives us strength to keep going. We uplift the voices of directly impacted families. We extend love and healing to parents who have lost children to the system. We honor the strength of single Black mothers who are so often underestimated. We surround them with community, offer tools for self-determination, and help build collective power.

We would not have reached this point without you—our beloved supporters. Your commitment to funding Black-led, directly impacted communities is the most direct path to dismantling systems of oppression. Thank you for standing with us to demand real alternatives to punitive, harmful systems.

With your help, we can build a world without bars—where every child is free to be a child.