The deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and Elijah McClain have opened the eyes of White America to how often criminal justice in America oppresses and even kills African-Americans.  At the moment, there seems to be public support for reining in police departments and making them accountable.  In response to greater public interest in criminal justice issues, IAHR is launching a new webinar series, called “Reimagining Criminal Justice in the United States.”  During this series IAHR Director Chuck Feinberg and some board members will be interviewing advocates, practitioners, those directly affected by criminal justice, and those who have studied the issue.  We will be asking our guests to imagine a reconstructed criminal justice system in the U.S.  What would be different?  What would be the same?  How would change be affected?  What parts of the system need greater accountability?  What parts of the system are dysfunctional and why?

On Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 11:30 a.m., Tyrone Walker will be our guest. Tyrone is an associate at the Justice Policy Institute (JPI) which is a national nonprofit organization that changes the conversation around justice reform and advances policies that promote well-being and justice for all people and communities. JPI is dedicated to reducing the use of incarceration and the justice system by promoting fair and effective policies.

While incarcerated, Tyrone met his first mentor during his first month of incarceration when he was 19. This mentor recognized Tyrone’s intellect and aptitude, and he empowered Tyrone to take the steps to overturn his initial sentence, shorten the time he would serve, and get his GED. Tyrone tutored other incarcerated men studying for their GEDs, and he took it upon himself to mentor young men in his facility. Recognized for his leadership abilities, he formally became a mentor in the Young Men Emerging Unit, a program in the D.C. Department of Corrections' Central Treatment Facility, which matched young men with mentors. Through this program, Tyrone and his peers mentored a group of 25 young men between the ages of 18-25. Upon being released after serving 25 years in prison, he completed the Georgetown University Pivot Program, during which he served as a Pivot Fellow with JPI. Through his fellowship and now as a full-time Associate at JPI he utilizes his experience, expertise and a passion for prison reform to advocate for change.

You will receive the call information as a confirmation e-mail after you register, please check your inbox (and spam folder).

Interfaith Action for Human Rights cordially invites you to "Human Rights at the Prison Door," a program and fundraiser honoring critical leaders in the IAHR movement. Save the date and spread the word! We look forward to seeing you (virtually) this September.

For their fantastic work in supporting IAHR initiatives, we'll be honoring:

• Jazz Lewis, Maryland State Delegate
• Louis Sawyer, Jr., Community Outreach Coordinator of Jubilee Housing
• the ACLU of Virginia
• and Suzanne O'Hatnick, Chair of Interfaith Action for Human Rights

We look forward to seeing you! Check back for more information.

Are you interested in seeing pictures from last year's event. Click here to see!