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As you likely know, some Beth Israel Center members have, over the past two years, worked with partners from the Nehemiah Center in our project, Confronting Racism. We’ve learned—among many other things—how subtly racism affects our own perceptions, even as we strive to overcome it; how pervasive have been the effects of societal racism on Black people and how little we may have understood about the harms produced. More positively, we’ve learned how to value the leadership of Black individuals and Black-led organizations.
We have researched issues and organizations, we’ve chosen criminal justice as the challenge we’ll address, and we’ve connected with EXPO, Ex-incarcerated People Organizing, a statewide organization that aligns well with our aims, our skills and our interests.
Here is how EXPO explains its cause:
People in our communities without direct experience with incarceration are often ill-informed of the negative, and catastrophic, effects on earnings and employment, physical and mental health, housing and education, and family well-being created and perpetuated by the carceral system. Through our advocacy work in local and state government, EXPO creates space, opportunity, and support for system-impacted individuals to raise their voices about the systemic and institutional harm of incarceration. In the words of one of our organizers, EXPO’s work “shines a light of awareness and truth where others refuse to acknowledge.”
Now we look forward to bringing more of the BIC community into the work ahead, engaging whenever possible, and actively supporting in every way possible.
Here are two upcoming opportunities:
1 - Join BIC’s Zoom session on Wednesday, May 31, at 7 pm. During this program, Marianne Oleson, the Executive Assistant to the Director of EXPO, will share brief videos about EXPO. She will then facilitate a discussion and answer questions, giving all of us an opportunity to better understand what EXPO seeks to do and how BIC can join in the doing. Click here to join on Zoom.
2 - Attend Shabbat services on June 17, to share first steps in Correcting The Narrative. On that day, representatives of EXPO will join us in shul, will share kiddush lunch, and will talk with us further after Birkat Hamazon.
Please note:
*Besides offering personal support to people just released from prison, EXPO seeks to restore voting rights to those who’ve served their time, to address issues specifically related to women after incarceration, and to alleviate the burdens of excessive post-release supervision.
*EXPO works through five chapters—Eau Claire/Chippewa Valley, Milwaukee, Fox Cities, Racine/Kenosha and Madison/Beloit. The organization holds monthly statewide meetings, half of which are on Zoom on Thursday evenings. The next monthly meeting is on June 1.
*You can....
* start learning more about EXPO now, by visiting expowisconsin.org
* attend statewide meetings on Zoom
* help us welcome EXPO partners on May 31 and on June 17!
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