Students, community invited to learn from local justice advocates during speaker series
Alison Rapping speaks with students during the first event of the 21st annual Seeking Justice in Arizona Fall Lecture Series at ASU. Photo courtesy of Anna Alvarez-Loucks
As CEO of Arouet Foundation, a nonprofit focused on helping formerly incarcerated individuals prepare for reentry into society, Alison Rapping has seen how imprisonment causes women to lose life skills, job skills and connections to family and community. In addition, they often face limited options for housing and jobs, and struggle to navigate health care systems.
“Many people in this country end up incarcerated, but we basically never let them out," Rapping said. "We give them this scarlet F, and we never let them out."
Her comments came as part of a presentation given to a room of nearly 100 justice studies students on Sept. 4, officially kicking off the 21st annual Seeking Justice in Arizona Fall Lecture Series at Arizona State University.
Each year, speakers are invited to present their work or the work of their organizations as part of the Introduction to Justice Studies course, this year taught by instructor Sarah Suhail. The lectures are presented in a hybrid format, allowing members of the ASU community and the public to join.
Rapping is the first of four Seeking Justice speakers who will visit the Tempe campus this semester. The series, which started in 2005, is organized by Madelaine Adelman, a professor in the School of Social Transformation.
Upcoming speakers
Oct. 7: Wendsler Nosie Sr., former chairman and councilman, San Carlos Apache Tribe; leader of Apache Stronghold; professor in the practice of Indigenous knowledge, American University of Sovereign Nations
Nosie will speak about activism centered on the fight for Indigenous religious and human rights, and the preservation and protection of Native American culture, artifacts, history, religion and tradition.
Oct. 23: Lena Avalos, senior policy advisor, Arizona Center for Empowerment
Avalos will discuss community organizing and the importance of civic participation in communities of color. Through her work with ACE and Living United for Change in Arizona, Avalos leads policy work at the Arizona State Legislature on issues such as fair wages and paid family leave, tax and budget and affordable housing.
Nov. 6: Violeta Ramos, managing director of leadership programs, ALL In Education; president of the Osborne School District Governing Board
Ramos will be discussing pathways to equity in education in Arizona.
Registration
Register to attend the lectures via Zoom here, or visit the Seeking Justice webpage for more information about the series and past and present speakers.
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