Walk. Listen. Learn: Our Journey to Justice

Latest Episodes:

Episode 12: Understanding Sentencing with Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

Walk, Listen, and Learn with Senator Sims and me. In episode 12, we’ll talk about sentencing and understanding the impact it has on our communities of color. Senator Sims is a Democratic member of the Illinois State Senate, representing the 17th Senate District. He is also a member of the Illinois Black Caucus, Chairman of the Illinois Senate Criminal Law Committee, where he’s leading efforts to reform our justice system and serves as Of Counsel at the law firm of Foley & Lardner LLP.

Episode 11: Community Organizing with Marlon Chamberlain Oct 25, 2020

Show notes

Walk, Listen, and Learn with Marlon Chamberlain and me. In episode 11, we’ll talk about community organizing, specifically organizing the community of people who have been impacted by the justice system. Marlon Chamberlain is the Project Manager of the Alliance for the Reentry at the Safer Foundation. Marlon brings over twenty years of lived and professional experience towards his work and focuses on advocating on behalf people with arrest and conviction records.

Episode 10: Intersectionality with Channyn Parker Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

Walk, Listen, and Learn with Channyn Parker and me. In episode 8, we’ll talk about justice through a lens of intersectionality. Channyn Parker is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Howard Brown Health. She is a human rights advocate, a public speaker, a community-centric leader, and currently serves on the Equality Illinois Board.

Episode 9: Housing Justice with Adam Ballard Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

Walk, Listen, and Learn with Adam Ballard and me. In episode 9, we’ll talk about housing justice and its importance to helping people live independently. We’ll also explore the supports for accessible and integrated housing. Adam Ballard is the Housing and Transportation Policy Analyst for Access Living. Adam’s work focuses on developing legislative policy priorities and messaging around housing, transportation, and related planning issues.

Episode 8: Mental Health and Trauma with Jennifer McGowan-Tomke Oct 18, 2020

Show notes

Walk, Listen and, Learn with Jennifer McGowan-Tomke and me, as we discuss mental health and trauma: the impact of both on overall community wellbeing, inequities related to accessing mental health services, and how we can try to expand those services to communities that need it the most. Jennifer McGowan-Tomke is the Chief Operating Officer of NAMI Chicago, a local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Jennifer’s experience includes mental health policy advocacy for youth that have been justice-involved.

Episode 7: Bail Reform with Sharone Mitchell, Jr. Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

Walk, Listen, and Learn with Sharone Mitchell and me. In episode 7, we’ll talk about bail reform. Sharone is the Director of the Illinois Justice Project, and he was previously a trial attorney with the Cook County Public Defender’s Office. Sharone’s work focuses on adult justice, specializing in pretrial issues, sentencing policy, and violence prevention.

Episode 6: School-to-Prison Pipeline with Elizabeth Todd-Breland Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

Walk, Listen, and Learn with Elizabeth Todd-Breland and me. In episode 6, we’ll talk about the school to prison pipeline, particularly about the pipeline’s effects on young people and how we’re able to make a change. Elizabeth Todd-Breland is a member of the Chicago Board of Education, an author, historian, and Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Elizabeth’s areas of expertise include urban history, Black history, racial politics, social justice, and education reform.

Episode 5: Inequities in Health and Healthcare with Dr. Damon Arnold Oct 11, 2020

Show notes

Walk, Listen, and Learn with Dr. Damon Arnold and me. In episode 5, we’ll talk about the inequities in health and healthcare, particularly as they relate to Black and Brown communities across the state. Dr. Arnold is the Medical Director of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and served 26 years in the Army National Guard, where he served as the Commander of the Joint Medical Command and State Surgeon General for 12 years.

Episode 4: Mass Incarceration with Yaacov Delaney Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

Walk, Listen, and Learn with Yaacov Delaney and me, as we discuss mass incarceration, specifically how communities of color all across Illinois are impacted. Yaacov Delaney is a Policy Coordinator for the Justice, Equity, and Opportunity Initiative within the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. His work focuses on justice reform at the state level. Yaacov has also worked as an organizer for restorative and justice reform at the Community Renewal Society and he is the founder of Breaking Cycles, a support group providing trauma-informed care to people impacted by the justice system who are re-entering their communities.

Episode 3: Juvenile Justice with Julie Biehl Oct 06, 2020

Show notes

Walk, Listen and Learn with Julie Biehl and me, as we discuss “juvenile justice”: how an adolescent’s brain develops, the impact of the justice system on youth, and recent reforms announced by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice. Episode Notes: Adolescent brain development has been critical to juvenile justice reform. The prefrontal cortex doesn’t fully develop until the age of 24. Scientists have helped us understand that an adolescent is categorically less culpable than an adult and have greater potential for rehabilitation. Illinois recently announced the 21st Century Transformation Model which will “transition youth to small, regional residential centers, invest significantly in community wraparound support and intervention services, and increase financial support for victim services in communities that are disproportionately impacted by violence.” Join me and Julie Biehl, Director of the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, as we discuss the challenges justice-involved youth face and the need for community investment. Director Biehl’s work focuses on the representation of young people who are involved in the justice system and policy reforms in the areas of juvenile sentencing, overincarceration, and re-entry.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Walk. Listen. Learn: Our Journey to Justice

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected