Saturday, February 12, 2011

Upcoming Event Seattle - Thanks We4SocialJustUS

UPCOMING EVENT:

A dialogue on the intersection of race and the criminal justice system

February 15, 2011 | Noon to 1:30 pm
Bertha Landes Room, Seattle City Hall
Race and the Criminal Justice System
2011 Equity & Social Justice Lecture Series

Panelists:
Judge Patricia Clark, King County Superior Court
Gerald Hankerson, Community Activist, Board Member of NAACP
Robert Chang, Director, Fred T. Korematsu Center, Seattle University School of Law

The over-representation of people of color in the criminal justice system continues to persist despite years of attention. Fortunately, there are many people who work in the system who continue to look for new information and strategies to address this problem.

This forum is designed to bring people together to share what is known about race and its intersection with the criminal justice system. Our goal is to start the conversation and help participants understand the connection between race and a person’s involvement in the criminal justice system and identify ways they can make an impact with the work that they do.

Our panelists represent three unique voices that will stimulate the conversation:

Judge Patricia Clark has been a frontrunner in addressing issues concerning racial disparities in the justice system for many years. She challenges current practices and has led many efforts to transform the juvenile justice and child welfare system. Judge Clark will share examples of work that is currently being done to address today’s challenges as well as what we still need to do.

Gerald Hankerson will share his personal story of being in the wrong place at the wrong time which resulted in being accused of a crime he didn’t commit and spending 20 years of his life in prison. Noticing that most of his cellmates were African American like himself, most holding little hope for the future, Mr. Hankerson began organizing and becoming involved to disrupt what he saw as the cradle to prison pipeline.

Robert Chang is the Director of the Fred T. Korematsu Center at the Seattle University Law School and oversees the Race & Criminal Justice Taskforce. Mr. Chang will describe what the taskforce is currently doing and what they hope to accomplish. He will also describe our current environment and open a discussion about race neutral policies and how policies and practices can impact racial disparities.

The state of reducing budgets, a dwindling public trust in government, and a lack of cohesiveness across departments erodes our ability to eliminate racial disparities and meet the public’s demand for safer communities. By working together, we are more likely to make a positive difference for everyone in our community. Please join us!

Educate. Inspire. Challenge.
This workshop was coordinated by the King County Dept. of Community & Human Services, Equity & Social Justice Committee and Public Health, Diversity & Social Justice Group
For more information, contact (206) 205-6703
All are welcome but space is limited.
Please RSVP by 02/14/11
ericka.turley@kingcounty.gov
(206) 205-6703

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