Poussey Washington Real Life

Poussey Washington Real Life: If you are a fan of Prison TV shows like Prison Break, Homeland then you must have come across one of the most popular Netflix original series called Orange is the new black.

The series had a huge impact on its viewers and one of the main characters of the show called Poussey Washington played by actress Samira Wiley played a huge part in part in it.

In order to continue the legacy of one of the most memorable characters of the show the creator of Orange is the new black Jenji Kohan announced a fund called Poussey Washington Fund based on real-life events of a New York city citizen Eric Garner who was killed by the police officer the same way as Poussey Washington.

In fact, Poussey Washington’s death in 2016 was a direct response to the killing of Eric garner in 2014 and other similar incidents contributing towards the black lives matter movement.

Poussey Washington’s real-life fund was introduced to enable ex-prisoners to lead their life in better circumstances.

Orange Is The New Black’s popularity

Orange is the new black gained immense popularity when it was first released in 2013 on Netflix.

It was nominated in 12 categories for an Emmy award which gained Netflix a huge number of awards.

The reason for the increased popularity of orange is the new black was its fresh concept.

Despite a large number of prison-related series orange is the new black made its own identity by bringing criminal justice reforms to the upfront of the national conversation.

Orange is the new black let their audience to identify with their wide range of characters despite their religion, political, racial, and class differences.

The show tried to connect the audience with characters like Poussey Washington by showing different situations that how the characters ended up in prison.

Who was Poussey Washington?

Poussey Washington was a fictional character portrayed by Samira Wiley on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black.

She appeared recurrently in the initial seasons and then became a permanent cast member.

Poussey Washington’s death was not well received by the audience and earned the series creators a great deal of outrage.

One of the television critics Emily Nusbaum highlighted this outrage in her review and stated that Poussey’s death sent a message about the Black lives matter movement as Poussey Washington’s character was an educated middle class but was killed due to ugly racism.

Fellow cast members were reportedly outraged over series creator Jenji Kohan’s decision to kill off Poussey in the fourth season.

Kohan spoke about the difficulty of killing her off and the reaction of the cast but stated that she felt it was a story that needed to be told.

The person on which Poussey’s character was based

Poussey Washington’s death was a direct indication of those high-profile racist attacks by law enforcement authorities.

The character’s death served a bigger purpose than just a plot point.

Her character was killed in quite a similar way to Eric Garner who lost his life in 2014 at the hands of law enforcement authorities while selling cigarettes on the streets of New York City. Eric’s words before his death “ I can’t breathe” became a chant for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Poussey Washington was killed in a similar way when the prison guard was trying to handle another inmate and unintentionally killed Poussey by pinning her down by the neck and blocking her breathing.

Then it was shown that Poussey Washington’s body was left in the cafeteria overnight as the prison’s management decided how to deal with the whole situation.

Again, this was a nod to the similar incident which happened in 2014 called the killing of Michael Brown.

Michael Brown was shot dead by a New York police officer in Ferguson and he was left lying in the street.

Poussey Washington Real-life fund:

Poussey Washington’s real-life fund was introduced in remembrance of Poussey Washington and to honor all the victims of racial biases.

The fund aimed to provide help to those who are struggling in real life and raised money for non-profits in the US.

This initiative was inspired by the final season events of orange is the new black and mainly focused on charities based on women’s rights, criminal justice, immigrant rights and it supported ex women, prisoners, to get back on their feet.

When the Poussey Washington fund was announced, Netflix promoted this initiative and released a video where the cast members were shown meeting ex-prisoners and explaining their ideas about leading the series legacy.

While talking about the Poussey Washington fund, the show creator Jenji Kohan said that this initiative is a way for the show’s characters to continue to make an impression on the audience even after the show has come to an end.

In the series, it was shown that one of the characters called Taystee offered microloans to the women who were getting out of prison.

To this, the show creator Jenji Kohan said that if a show’s one of the own character “Taystee” can go and try to make a difference for her inmates then the real world deserves this opportunity too

Samira Wiley who played the character of Poussey Washington said about the initiative that Orange Is the New Black has influenced people all over the world and now the whole team wants to continue this impact by introducing The Poussey Washington fund.

This way the legacy can live on even after the show is over.

Samira further said that while working on this series they have realized that justice is not being served whether it’s outside or inside the prison walls so the poussey Washington real-life fund aims to help the victims of this judicial system.

The Poussey Washington real-life fund benefited these eight non-profit organizations i.e.

  1. Anti Recidivism Coalition
  2. A New Way of Life: Reentry Project
  3. Immigrant Defenders Law Center
  4. Freedom for Immigrants
  5. College & Community Fellowship
  6. unPrison Project
  7. Women’s Prison Association
  8. The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Woman and Girls

The Poussey Washington Fund was supported by GoFundMe.org and donations were equally distributed among the organizations.

Poussey Washington real-life fund and Black lives matter movement:

Kohan confronted many sensitive issues on Orange Is the New Black.

Most of her key characters were shown to be the victims of a broken and disputed prison system.

Though Jenji Kohan tackled the issues of mental health, sexual assault, racial injustice, drug abuse, very creatively but Poussey Washington was the first-ever character to become a target.

This courageous move from Kohan’s side was a result of the racial injustice served by the judicial system of New York City.

This move promoted the black lives matter movement which is a regionalized socio-political movement that advocates non-violent civil disobedience against racial injustice and police brutality.

So, all in all, the Poussey Washington real-life fund helped to continue the legacy of the show and helped many people who were wronged by their very own judicial systems.

Written By Isabella

Isabella Martinez, your go-to relationship advisor and creator of Life Falcon. I love diving into love, life, and star signs, sharing helpful tips and interesting thoughts with you.

More About Author

Trending Right Now

How to know if someone blocked you on Snapchat?

How to know if someone blocked you on Snapchat?

Getting blocked is awful. But how to know if someone blocked you on Snapchat. We’ll talk about it in a bit down below. You can scroll below if you wanna

How To Use A Pasta Pot With A Strainer?

How To Use A Pasta Pot With A Strainer?

Using a pasta pot to boil your pasta is not as difficult as it may seem. All you need to do is fill both the inner and outer pots with

The Pros And Cons Of Participation Trophies

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Participation Trophies?

To compete and having the will to succeed or win is something innate in human nature. Competing for survival has been an obvious constant throughout human history. Fast forward to

How to check if your PC has Bluetooth?

How to check if your PC has Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that helps in connecting a PC with external devices and computer peripherals. The best part about it is that you don’t need to get yourself

Boyfriend cheating on girlfriend with phone

How To Find Out If Your Boyfriend is Cheating on WhatsApp?

Has your boyfriend been acting weird lately? Do you find yourself lying in bed at night and doubting his loyalty? Did you catch a glimpse of his WhatsApp and think

Rowing Vs. Running

Rowing vs. Running – Which is the better Workout?

So you’re sitting in your gym trying to figure out what’s better on rowing vs. running? Any exercise is better than nothing, however, the truth is that Rowing is a

Ways a Gemini Woman Can Attract an Aquarius Man

10 Ways a Gemini Woman Can Attract an Aquarius Man

10 Ways a Gemini Woman Can Attract an Aquarius Man: Whether it is a friend or a past lover, as a Gemini, you’ve probably noticed that you get along best

Electric Arc Best Plasma Lighters and their Working

Electric Arc Best Plasma Lighters and their Working

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. For More info visit our Disclaimer page. Lighters are perhaps the most under-rated tool. Yet they are so useful in everyday

Guide On How To Hold A Mouse While Gaming

Guide On How To Hold A Mouse While Gaming

In today’s age computers play a huge part in our lives. We sit in front of a computer for many hours. Perhaps, it is because of the office work or

Top Nose Hair Trimmers

Best 5 Top Nose Hair Trimmers

Keeping oneself well-groomed is a must to start off the day. In order to keep a pleasant appearance, you may need to equip yourself with a few basic grooming products.

Signs A Capricorn Man Likes You More Than A Friend?

11 Signs A Capricorn Man Likes You More Than A Friend?

11 Signs A Capricorn Man Likes You More Than A Friend?: Capricorn sign is an earth sign. Those who have this sun sign are quite industrious, serious, ambitious, organized, loyal,

Baby and his room

Where To Place a Humidifier in Your Baby’s Room?

If you have a little angel to take care of, then you are on the right page! Your newly born requires a perfect blend of all the comforts in life.

How To Tell If A Guy Likes You But Is Hiding It?

How To Tell If A Guy Likes You But Is Hiding It?

It is said that a man falls in love through his eyes and a woman through her ears, so speak up all you men out there. Speak up and tell

7 Best Felt Tip Eyeliners To Buy

7 Best Felt Tip Eyeliners To Buy

If you are a make-up geek, you must be familiar with the fact that eyeliner has the distinctive ability to elevate any beauty look in an instant.  Be it a

Skins care routine priority

Why It’s Important to Personalize Your Skincare Routine?

With the passage of time and the evolution of the beauty industry, there has sprouted a trend where people have shifted to the belief that the importance of skincare is

family

Marrying into an Enmeshed Family and How to Deal With It?

Marrying into an Enmeshed Family and How to Deal With It?: Marriage is more than just the champagne and wedding bells, marriage is a step forward in your life where

Can You Wash Your Hair With A Body Wash?

Can You Wash Your Hair With A Body Wash?

What if you hopped into the shower and go to get your hair shampoo and find that it’s completely empty, what would be your next option? Will you look for

Potheads Personality Traits and Difficulties of Living with Them

Potheads Personality Traits and Difficulties of Living with Them

Potheads Personality Traits and Difficulties of Living with Them: Living with a pothead is never an easy task. You will be faced with a wide range of problems, from health

5 Best Adjustable Drafting Tables

5 Best Adjustable Drafting Tables

5 Best Adjustable Drafting Tables: Drafting tables have been used more commonly by craftsmen in past. Gradually, they developed more specified being related typically with draftsmen and performers. They truly

Top 5 Life Changing ENTP Careers To Avoid

Top 5 Life Changing ENTP Careers To Avoid

Steve Jobs once said: “Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.” Are you an ENTP and under 40?  Well, you