THE LEGACY OF OITNB LIVES ON THROUGH THE "POUSSEY WASHINGTON FUND"

Ahead of the July 26th premiere of the seventh and final season of Netflix's groundbreaking series Orange Is The New Black, the series has announced The Poussey Washington Fund. An initiative, named after the memorable character played by Emmy-winning actress Samira Wiley, that will carry on the legacy of Orange Is The New Black by supporting eight preexisting non-profit advocacy groups who focus on criminal justice reform, protecting immigrants' rights, ending mass incarceration and supporting women who have been affected by it. For more information, please visit: crowdrise.com/PWF.

"Through the Poussey Washington Fund, our characters can live on and continue to make an impact after the show has come to an end. Taystee recognized an opportunity to make a difference for her fellow inmates, and we saw no reason why we couldn't launch our own initiative to have an effect in the real world," said creator Jenji Kohan.

A fictional version of the "Poussey Washington Fund" is in the upcoming season of Orange Is The New Black (launching Friday, July 26 on Netflix). In it, "Taystee" (Danielle Brooks) works to offer micro-loans to women getting out of prison. The newly launched initiative of the same name is a legacy of a different kind making a real life difference by giving fans a chance to support these eight non-profit organizations: A New Way of Life: Reentry Project, Anti Recidivism Coalition, College & Community Fellowship, Freedom For Immigrants, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Woman and Girls, unPrison Project, Women's Prison Association.

The Poussey Washington Fund is supported by GoFundMe.org, an independent, registered 501(c)(3) public charity, and CrowdRise by GoFundMe, the site's enterprise solution for nonprofits. Donations to The Poussey Washington Fund will be evenly distributed between the organizations. The creative team on OITNB been honored to tell the stories of these characters and their lives for the past seven seasons and hope that the "Poussey Washington Fund" will galvanize fans of the show to continue their relationship with the series subject matter in real life, with an eye towards positive change.

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