4:30 PM — 7:00 PM CT
Iowa Memorial Union at University of Iowa
Watch the live stream of this event!
Starting at 5pm CT.
It was a busy year for progress in justice reform—which sets us up for critical work in 2020. In conjunction with the release of Vera Institute of Justice’s third-annual interactive report, The State of Justice Reform 2019, Vera will host Best Of: Conversations on Justice Reform on January 30 in Iowa City.
Alongside special guests like The Appeal’s Josie Duffy Rice and Co-host of Pod Save the People and cofounder of Campaign Zero Samuel Sinyangwe, we’ll be honoring and celebrating key justice-related podcasts, books, documentaries, and social media influencers from 2019.
In addition to announcing the honorees, our special guests will be participating in conversations about various aspects of the criminal and immigration justice system.
This multimedia event will bring together researchers, experts, advocates, activists, filmmakers, artists, and other creatives. You don’t want to miss it!
Capacity is limited, so please RSVP.
Watch a live stream of this event!
Program
Emceed by:
Josie Duffy Rice
President, The Appeal
Conversations
A New Light: Changing the Way We Perceive Incarcerated People
Kimberly Drew
Writer, activist, museum and art curator
Mia Legaspi-Cavin
Senior Program Associate, Vera’s Restoring Promise Initiative
Kendrick Sampson
Activist, producer, and Actor
Moses El-Sun White
Restorative Justice Consultant
Unlocking Potential: Access to Education for People in Prison
Allan Wachendorfer
Program Associate, Vera’s Center for Sentencing and Corrections
Dr. Beth Skinner
Director, Iowa Department of Corrections
Dr. Heather Erwin
Director, University of Iowa Liberal Arts
Beyond Bars College in Prison Program
Ethan Miller
Formerly incarcerated graduate, Second Chance Pell Program,
Iowa Central Community College
Inside Local Jails
Jack Norton
Research Associate, Vera’s Center for Sentencing and Corrections
Immigration & Incarceration
Kica Matos
Director, Vera’s Center on Immigration and Justice
De’Ara Balenger
Activist, Co-Founder, Maestra
Pathway to Winning Justice
Jamila Hodge
Director, Vera’s Reshaping Prosecution Program
Josie Duffy Rice
President, The Appeal
Liberation is Not Liberation Without the Right to Vote
Samuel Sinyangwe
Activist, policy analyst, data scientist, Co-founder, Campaign Zero
Michelle Heinz
Executive Director, Inside Out Reentry Community
