Social Justice Activist and Book Author Susan Burton will serve on the Sojourner Truth Legacy panel at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBC) 47th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) on Wednesday, September 20, 2017 from 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM EST at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Pl NW, Room 206, Washington, DC 20001. Watch live by clicking link: http://www.cbcfinc.org/annual-legislative-conference/alc-live/
Sojourner Truth Legacy Project, in collaboration with the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls (CBWG), will host the Town Hall: Black Women & Girls in the U.S. Criminal Justice System: School to Prison Pipeline for the purpose of an in-depth discussion about African American women and girls’ exposure to the US criminal justice system and explore best practice intervention strategies, and the role the women of the Congressional Black Caucus can play towards reducing African American women and girls mass incarceration.
“The [prison] guard told me, ‘You’ll be back’ and I came back. I came back and led women up out of that place,” said Burton. As a formerly incarcerated woman, Burton understands the challenges people, especially women, face when leaving prison. To address the needs of the women, she found a solution and established, “A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project,” to provide housing and support to formerly incarcerated women for successful community re-entry, family reunification and individual healing.
Burton is considered by nationally known activists as a Modern-Day Harriett Tubman because of her work to provide a better future for formerly incarcerated women. After Burton spent nearly two decades cycling through systems of incarceration, one person helped her access treatment in an affluent area of Los Angeles. While there, she noticed a disparity in how substance abuse was treated in wealthy, resourced communities as compared to communities of color and poverty. She has since made it her life’s work to bring needed resources to communities of women with stories similar to hers.
Ms. Burton has helped more than 1,000 women out of the system.
SOJOURNER TRUTH LEGACY PROJECT TOWN HALL PROGRAM AGENDA
- Introduction by Dr. Kwamme Anderson, VP, Programs CBCF P/CEO
- Welcome, STLP History & Introduce Sponsor by A. Shuanise Washington, P/CEO
- Sponsor Greetings by Ms. Sharon Taylor, Prudential
- Introduce of Rep. Yvette D. Clarke by A. Shuanise Washington, P/CEO
- Welcome, Acknowledgements & Introduction of Moderator April Ryan by Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, Chair, STLP
- Brief Remarks to Open Panel by April Ryan, White House reporter, American Urban Radio Networks
Panel 1: Framing the Issue
Panel Discussion Congresswoman Robin Kelly
Terri Adams-Fuller, Associate Professor of Criminology, Howard University
Gilda Daniels, Associate Professor of Law, University of Baltimore
Panel 2: The Lived Experience
Panel Discussion Congresswoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman
Susan Burton, Founder, A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project and Justice on Trial Film Festival
Lashonia Thompson-El, Executive Director, Women Involved in Reentry Efforts
Monalisa Johnson, Founder, Parents with Incarcerated Children, Inc.
Q & A follows each panel discussion
Closing Remarks NY Assemblywoman Latrice Walker
The ALC is expected to attract more than 10,000 participants from around the nation and offers 100 forums on public policy issues facing African Americans and the global black community. The conference theme, “And Still I Rise” reflects a legacy of resilience that emphasizes the collective strength of the black community to rise above continued racial inequalities. Congresswoman Robin Kelly of Illinois and Congressman Marc Veasey of Texas will serve as honorary co-chairs of this year’s conference.
For press inquiries or speaking engagements for Ms. Burton, contact Marie Lemelle, publicist for ANWOL at 213-276-7827 or info@platinumstarpr.com.
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About Susan Burton
Susan Burton, described as the Harriet Tubman of our time, is the founder of A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project (ANWOL) and the annual Justice on Trial Film Festival to visually raise the awareness about social justice, mass incarceration, and the need for criminal justice reform. ANWOL collaborated with McKinney & Associates, to launch JustUS Voices Storytelling for Change℠ – a multimedia initiative aiming to transform the policy and public dialogue on mass incarceration through the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated women.
About A New Way of Life (ANWOL)
Founded in 1998 by CNN Top Ten Hero Susan Burton, A New Way of Life, based in Los Angeles, provides housing and support to formerly incarcerated women for successful community re-entry, family reunification and individual healing. ANWOL also works to restore the civil rights of formerly incarcerated people and empowering, organizing and mobilizing advocates for social change, civic engagement and personal transformation. Burton is the author of her memoir, “Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women” available at www.becomingmsburton.com and Amazon.
About McKinney & Associates
McKinney & Associates is the first Black woman-owned firm in the nation’s capital dedicated to social justice communications. For more than 25 years, the firm has promoted, marketed and advocated on behalf of progressive public policy including criminal justice reform, voting rights, health equity and racial justice by advancing authentic leaders and initiatives that embody those values.
Connect with Ms. Burton and A New Way of Life Re-entry Project on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ANewWayofLifeReentryProject/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ANewWayOfLifeReentry
Twitter: @anewwayoflife1 and @susanburtonLA
Instagram: @justiceontrialfilmfestival @anewwayoflifereentryproject
#BecomingMsBurton #ANewWayOfLife #UpAndOut #FreeAmerica #JusticeOnTrial #ExposingInjustice #ExploringSolutions
Marie Lemelle
Platinum Star PR
(213) 276-7827
email us here
CNN Hero Susan Burton’s nonprofit “A New Way of Life Re-entry Project,” provides sober housing and other support to formerly incarcerated women.
Link to Official Press Release:
Social Justice Activist Susan Burton is in Washington, DC to Address the Injustices of Mass Incarceration of Women
