[Peace-discuss] education or incarceration conference program

[Lisa Chason]

education or incarceration?

schools and prisons in a punishing democracy

An Interdisciplinary Conference hosted by The University of Illinois

Center on Democracy in a Multiracial Society

Thursday, 22 January-Saturday, 24 January 2004

 

While the prison-industrial-complex has expanded dramatically over the last generation, becoming one of the fastest growth industries in the United States of America, now housing over 2.1 million prisoners and supervising another 3.7 million parolees and probationers, public education in America has suffered a precipitous decline.  For example, California now spends more money on its prison system than on its once-celebrated universities and state colleges combined.  One result of such political choices in California and elsewhere is that there are now more African-American men in America's prisons than in its colleges.  Furthermore, we know that 68% of state prison inmates did not finish high school, meaning there is a direct relationship between schools and prisons, between one's access to education and one's chances of becoming incarcerated.  Indeed, young people who do not finish school are so much more likely to enter prison than students who complete high school that some scholars have begun referring to a "schools-to-prison pipeline." Gathering some of the nation's leading scholars, teachers, artists, and activists, this conference will tackle the complicated and compelling question of how to reclaim our schools-and hence the future of democracy-from the clutches of the prison-industrial-complex.

Thursday Night, January 22nd

1. Welcome to the campus by UI Provost Richard Herman, 7:00-7:10.

2. Welcome to the conference by UI Chancellor Nancy Cantor, 7:10-7:20.

3. Keynote Address by Ruthie Gilmore, Soros Senior Justice Fellow, African-American Studies, UC Berkeley, 7:20-8:10.

4. Reception for conference participants, 8:10-9:30.

Friday, January 23rd

1. Coffee, Pastries, 8:00-8:30

 

2. Session 1: How the Prison-Industrial-Complex Ruins Schools, 8:30-10:00

- moderated by Larry Parker, UI Educational Policy Studies.

- Tonya McClary, The American Friends Service Committee.

- Dylan Rodriguez, UC Riverside Ethnic Studies.

- Craig Gilmore, The Education not Incarceration Coalition.

3. Session 2: Schools as Breeding Grounds for Prison, 10:15-11:45

- moderated by Assata Zerai, UI Afro-Am and CDMS.

- Christine Clark, Human Relations, University of Maryland.

- Garrett Duncan, Afro-Am, Washington U. in St. Louis.

- Lizbet Simmons, UC Berkeley.

- Victor Goode, ABLE (Advocates for Basic Legal Equality) & Jennifer Goode, Bowling Green State University.

4.  Lunch, 12:00-1:15, including SPECIAL PLENARY PRESENTATION by John Powell, of the Ohio State University Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity.

5. Session 3: Educational Alternatives: Pedagogies of Hope and Engagement, 1:30-3:00

- moderated by Alejandro Lugo, UI Anthropology and CDMS.

- Jody Lewen, Director, San Quentin college program.

- Buzz Alexander, Director, The Prison Creative Arts Project.

- Will Patterson, Director, Champaign Boys and Girls Club.

--- S. A. Tinnin-Bey, Indiana D.O.C. Transitional Counselor.

 

6. Session 4: Artists Empowering Education and Activism, 3:15-4:45

--- moderated by Travis Dixon, UI Speech Communication.

- Robin Sohnen, Director, Each One Reach One.

- Victoria Sammartino, Director, Voices Unbroken.

- Michael Keck, NYC-based performance artist.

 

7.  Celebratory Party, Performance, and Fund Raiser for Local Justice Cases, 8:00-10:30, location t.b.a. 

Saturday, January 24th
1. Coffee, Pastries, 8:00-8:30.

 

2. Session 1: Building the Movement for Peace and Justice, 8:30-10:00

- moderated by Rosalinda Barrera, CDMS co-Director.

- Rose Braz, Director, Critical Resistance.

- Robert Schultz, Midwest Director, Amnesty International.

--- Erica Meiners, Northeastern Illinois University & Beyondmedia.

3. Session 2: Practical Utopias, 10:15-11:45

- moderated by James Anderson, Chair, UI Educational Policy Studies.

- collective brainstorming, planning, and targeting of future actions. . .

 

 

For questions about the conference or to volunteer your time,

please contact Stephen Hartnett at hartnett at uiuc.edu.

 
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