Race and Mass Incarceration,

in the time of COVID19

 Monday, May 25th 9-10:30pm ET; 6-7:30pm PT

"If you think a cruise ship is a dangerous place to be during a pandemic, consider America's jails and prisons.. .

it has become equally important for all of us to ask what steps are being taken to protect the health of people in jails and prisons, and the staff who work in them." Amanda Klonsky MARCH 16, 2020/NEW YORK TIMES

  

Sponsored by Liberation Road and CCDS Socislist Education Committee

Featuring Amanda Klonsky and Rafael Pizarro, interviewed by Bill Fletcher, Jr.

Rafael Pizarro, Co Chair CCDS. 

Rafael is a long time activist and labor organizer.  Presently he is heavily involved in his community of New Bedford, MA with Bristol County for Correctional Justice (BCCJ) fighting for justice forimmigrant detainees and decarceration during this time of COVID 19.  He and BCCJ Have involved in tremendous and hard work and have had some victories.  

Amanda Klonsky Ed.LD., MSW

Dr. Amanda Klonsky has worked as an educator in jails and prisons for more than 15 years and speaks widely on issues of education and incarceration. Her work focuses on expanding access to education for people who are impacted by mass incarceration. More recently, Amanda has been engaged in the efforts to respond to the crisis of COVID-19 in jails and prisons, contributing editorials and commenting in media venues including The New York Times, The Chicago Sun-Times, and PBS News Hour.

Amanda earned a Doctorate in Education Leadership at Harvard University (2018) and her Masters in Social Work from the University of Chicago (2011). Her doctoral thesis traces the stories of young men in Chicago who were detained in the Cook County Jail during the period of emerging adulthood.

Bill Fletcher, Jr.

Bill Fletcher Jr has been an activist since his teen years. Upon graduating from college he went to work as a welder in a shipyard, thereby entering the labor movement. Over the years he has been active in workplace and community struggles as well as electoral campaigns. He has worked for several labor unions in addition to serving as a senior staffperson in the national AFL-CIO.

Fletcher is the former president of TransAfrica Forum; a Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies; an editorial board member of BlackCommentator.com; and in the leadership of several other projects. Fletcher is the co-author (with Peter Agard) of "The Indispensable Ally: Black Workers and the Formation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, 1934-1941";the co-author ( with Dr. Fernando Gapasin)  "Solidarity Divided: The crisis in organized labor and a new path toward social justice"; and "'They're Bankrupting Us'-and 20 other myths about unions".  Fletcher is a syndicated columnist and regular media commentator on television, radio, and the Web.

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The Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism is a national organization, united by a common commitment to struggle for democracy and socialism. CCDS embodies the legacy of the great social movements for peace, freedom, and democracy led by the working class, and racially and nationally oppressed people. CCDS carries forward the courageous traditions of the democratic socialist and left leaders and activists of the USA." CCDS Goals and Principles The Mobilizer is the newsletter of the CCDS and the above spirit should be reflected in it. It is a great tool for communication within our organization and it is hoped that we can put this out more frequently. We will use this to share reports from the NCC meetings. But we want this to be a two way street and want to hear from you. We encourage you to share what is going on in your area whether it be a mass action or study group, etc. One thing we often hear from members is wanting to know more about what is going on in other areas. Writing up your experiences also a good way to reflect on it and sum it up.  We encourage a broad sharing of ideas. You are encouraged to also send comments of other articles written. So let us hear from you. Material can be sent to Janet Tucker at jlynjenks@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you.