Defining Justice: The Experience of Women and Children Behind Bars
November 7, 2017
Los Angeles
Women and children in the criminal justice system often remain outside of the standard narrative around incarceration and its impacts. In the capital of the entertainment world — in a state that has led the charge on decarceration in recent years — The Atlantic sought to unearth these untold stories, bringing together people whose lives have been changed by incarceration with the advocates and entertainers who can give voice to them.
Monique MorrisAuthor, Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in School;President and Founder, National Black Women's Justice Institute@MoniqueWMorris
John RodriguezWriter and MemberPOPS the Club
Malika Saada Saar*Senior Counsel, Civil and Human RightsGoogle@MalikaSaadaSaar
Kat SecaidaPeer AmbassadorPOPS the Club
Janet SotoSenior Navigator and Case ManagerHomeboy Industries
Sabra WilliamsActress and Co-FounderThe Actors' Gang Prison Project@sabramwilliams
Agenda
Tuesday, November 07
9:00 a.m.Her Story
WelcomeKat Secaida, Peer Ambassador, POPS the Club Patrick Garrigan, Executive Director, AtlanticLIVE
9:05 a.m.Race, Gender and NarrativeAva DuVernay, Filmmaker
With Ta-Nehisi Coates, National Correspondent, The Atlantic; Author, We Were Eight Years In Power
9:30 a.m.Her Story
Criminalizing Girls of Color Bianca Lopez, Peer Ambassador, POPS the Club Shirley Garcia, Peer Mentor, Spirit Awakening Esche Jackson, Policy Advocate, Anti-Recidivism Coalition Monique Morris, Author, Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools Esche Jackson, Policy Advocate, Anti-Recidivism Coalition
With Alison Stewart, Contributing Editor, The Atlantic
10:00 a.m.The State of the StateAttorney General Xavier Becerra, State of California
With Ron Brownstein, Senior Editor, The Atlantic
10:25 a.m.Google’s Justice for Everyone Initiative* Produced by our underwriter GoogleMalika Saada Saar, Senior Counsel on Civil and Human Rights, Google
10:35 a.m.Her Story
Staying Connected Through ArtShirley Garcia, Spirit Awakening John Rodriguez, Writer and Member, POPS the Club Miquelle West, Celebrity Fashion Stylist
With Alison Stewart, The Atlantic
11:00 a.m.Portraying Women in PrisonIngrid Archie, Proposition 47 Specialist, A New Way of Life Reentry Project Anna Deavere Smith, Actress and Producer Janet Soto, Senior Navigator and Case Manager, Homeboy Industries Sabra Williams, Actress and Co-Founder, The Actors’ Gang Prison Project
With Alison Stewart, The Atlantic
11:30 a.m.Her Story
Closing ThoughtsValeria De La Torre, Peer Ambassador, POPS the Club Patrick Garrigan, AtlanticLIVE
In this event in the Defining Justice series, The Atlantic will seek out leaders from Capitol Hill and around the country to discuss the state of criminal justice reform across America. In particular, the event will consider how renewed federal debate on the issue might impact women and youth in the justice system.
As Oklahoma grapples with an emerging political consensus around criminal justice reform, The Atlantic sought to understand the experiences of women affected by the state’s justice system.
In L.A., a thriving metropolis that is home to a rich diversity of people from all walks of life, we’ll ask: what will it take to ensure quality of life and greater opportunity for all area residents?
