Racial Equity

James Forman Jr., author of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction for Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America, will deliver a talk that explores the rise of mass incarceration and its disproportionate impact on people of color. The talk will be followed by a signing of his book, which is hailed as “superb and shattering” by The New York Times.

Forman explores how the war on crime that began in the 1970s was supported by many African American leaders in the nation’s urban centers and seeks to understand why. His exploration began when Forman served as a public defender in Washington, D.C. After he failed to keep a 15-year-old out of a juvenile detention center, he wondered how the mayor, the judge, the prosecuting attorney, the arresting officer, even the bailiff—all of whom were black—could send so many of their own to a grim, incarcerated future.  

Now a professor at Yale Law School, Forman will explore the answers in his talk.  He will show how good intentions and pressing dangers of the last 40 years have shaped the get-tough approach in the culture at large and in black neighborhoods.

This event is free and open to the public, and no registration is required.

[The text of this article draws heavily from the LU press release about this event, found here: http://go.lawrence.edu/hwst]

Join ESTHER and Fit Oshkosh at the Appleton Public Library on September 27 for the opening of “The Color-Brave Photo Project: Black and Brown Faces, a New Narrative.”

This traveling exhibit, a project of Fit Oshkosh, will be on display starting September 27 through October 3 at the Appleton Public Library on the first floor. The exhibit will be introduced at a reception and community conversation hosted by ESTHER and facilitated by Fit Oshkosh.

The Color-Brave exhibit features photographs of people of color who live in Oshkosh. The photos are accompanied by stories about the person’s life. The exhibit seeks to shift common stereotypes about people of color, to explore the negative impacts these false narratives have on the community and to celebrate residents of color.

“Ultimately, the exhibit is a celebration of people of color, our choices and our lives with our own images and stories,” said Tracey Robertson, Fit Oshkosh Executive Director. This project was funded by the Wisconsin Humanities Council and the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation. The Color-Brave Photo opening reception and community conversation is sponsored by ESTHER.

RACE TO JUSTICE

At this forum, WISDOM leaders from around the state will be asking gubernatorial candidates very specific questions about their intentions in the areas of criminal justice reform (including parole, crimeless revocations, treatment alternatives to incarceration, Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility, solitary confinement), public transportation, childhood poverty, health care, immigration, education, mining.

Confirmed candidates so far include:

• Matt Flynn
• Andy Gronik
• Mike McCabe
• Mahlon Mitchell
• Kelda Roys
• Kathleen Vinehout
• Dana Wachs

Candidates unable to attend, expressing regrets: Tony Evers, Paul Soglin

Also invited, awaiting response: Scott Walker

Hosted by the WISDOM network.

Car-pooling from Northeast Wisconsin is being arranged, including reimbursement of cost of gasoline for those who drive. Contact ESTHER by phone (920-843-8083) or email (office@esther-foxvalley.org) to make arrangements.

For the most current information, see the event page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/170215040331902/