Save the Date: Annual Charles R. See Forum on Reentry Returns 4.29.22 |
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We are thrilled to announce that the 2022 Charles R. See Forum on Reentry will feature Ms. Susan Burton, the founder of Los Angeles-based A New Way of Life (ANWOL). ANWOL works to break the cycle of incarceration by providing housing, case management, employment, legal services, leadership development and community organization on behalf of, and along with people who struggle to rebuild their lives after incarceration. Ms. Burton is an advocate, activist, and author of Becoming Ms. Burton where she shares her own experiences with addiction, incarceration, and trauma.
The Charles R. See Forum on Reentry, will take place on Friday, April 29, 2022 at 11:30AM at the City Club of Cleveland. The forum honors See’s 44 years at LMM by bringing attention to current issues in the field of criminal justice. Tickets will go on sale soon. The forum will also be broadcast starting at 12:00PM on www.cityclub.org and WCPN 89.7.
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Susan Burton, Founder of A New Way of Life |
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Becoming Ms. Burton Book Club
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Please join LMM’s Advocacy Department for a series of discussions on the book Becoming Ms. Burton. The memoir, which was authored by the Forum’s keynote speaker, Ms. Susan Burton, is a story of redemption and overcoming the odds. After the loss of her 5-year old son, addiction took hold of Ms. Burton sending her on a decades-long journey of incarceration and recidivism.
After six separate stints in prison, Ms. Burton found sobriety and started her own nonprofit, A New Way of Life, aimed at helping other women break the cycle of incarceration. Through this work, Ms. Burton also began to advocate to reform the system's failures that led to mass incarceration of African Americans, overcrowding in the state’s prisons, and the inability for those stuck in the cycle to truly get back on their feet.
The Becoming Ms. Burton Book Club will meet on:
- April 5 at 12:00PM
- April 26 at 12:00PM
- May 3 at 12:00PM
You can RSVP here and books can be purchased here (select LMM as your organization of choice using Amazon Smile so our agency receives a small percentage of your purchase at no cost to you) or at a local bookseller.
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Returning Citizens and Rethinking Hiring |
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"Employment can provide dignity, stability, and purpose. This is especially the case for individuals returning to community post-incarceration. Employment is one of three key things needed to stay on a path to success post-release, in addition to housing and transportation."
Read this op-ed from LMM's Workforce Development Program Director, Malika Kidd, which was published in The Plain Dealer last Friday. The op-ed, titled 'Returning citizens who’ve done their time are a valuable, untapped part of the workforce', highlights the importance of second chances the challenges of reentry, and rethinking hiring.
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Culinary Students Prepare Lunch for The City Club |
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Here's a sneak peek of some delicious lunches that were made by LMM’s culinary students last week for The City Club of Cleveland's Friday Forum.
Shout out to The City Club's Executive Chef Adam Crawford for his guidance and instruction of our students. LMM appreciates the chance to offer our culinary students opportunities like these!
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Last week, LMM joined the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Towards Employment, the NAACP, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and others, in a virtual advocacy day in support of statewide legislation that would provide alternatives to cash bail.
Though cash bail was originally created to ensure individuals showed up to their court hearings, it has now evolved into a tool that discriminates against those who are low-income and unable to afford the cost. Participants, including LMM’s Community Engagement Coordinator, Gloria Craig, had the opportunity to speak with Senator Rob McColley and Representatives Willis Blackshear, David LeLand, D.J. Swearingen and staff in the offices of Senator Nathan Manning & Representative Tavia Galonski.
Learn more about cash bail reform here.
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The Mark Collier Lecture Series at BWU |
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Last week, the LMM Department of Advocacy participated in Baldwin Wallace University's student resource fair and attended the Mark Collier Lecture Series featuring Kevin Richardson, one of the Central Park Five exonerees. This was an inspiring evening that shed light on the ongoing need for reform to the criminal legal system. |
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LMM is an organization that advanced and supports diversity, equity and inclusion. We want to honor you by presenting the appropriate salutation, also known as your “prefix preference”.
Please let us know if you need to change your prefix for all LMM mailings that you receive, or if you prefer not to have one listed. Send any requested changes to mail@lutheranmetro.org.
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