Criminal Justice Reform – Chicago Mayor, Lori E. Lightfoot

The Honorable Lori E. Lightfoot, Mayor of Chicago, discussed criminal justice reform. For more information, please click here.

“We can and will make [every U.S. city] a place where your ZIP code doesn’t determine your destiny.”

Speakers

Lori E. Lightfoot is the 56th Mayor of Chicago. Since assuming office, Mayor Lightfoot has undertaken an ambitious agenda of expanding opportunity and inclusive economic growth across Chicago’s neighborhoods and communities, with early accomplishments including landmark ethics and good governance reforms and worker protection legislation, followed by key investments across education, public safety, financial stability, racial equity, and neighborhood investment. Prior to her election, Mayor Lightfoot most recently served as a senior equity partner in the Litigation and Conflict Resolution Group at Mayer Brown. Previously, she served as President of the Chicago Police Board, as well as the Chair of the Police Accountability Task Force. Mayor Lightfoot also served as Chief of Staff and General Counsel of the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications, interim First Deputy of the Chicago Department of Procurement Services, Chief Administrator of the Office of Professional Standards, and as Assistant United States Attorney. A native of Massillon, Ohio, Mayor Lightfoot has been a resident of Chicago since 1986 and lives on the Near Northwest Side with her wife Amy Eshleman and their daughter.

Cheryl Corley is a Chicago-based NPR correspondent who works for the National Desk. She primarily covers criminal justice issues as well as breaking news in the Midwest and across the country. In her role as a criminal justice correspondent, Corley works as part of a collaborative team and has a particular interest on issues and reform efforts that affect women, girls and juveniles. She’s reported on programs in Washington State that help incarcerated mothers raise babies in prison and on pre-apprenticeships designed to help reduce recidivism rates of women. She’s reported on the push in North Dakota to revamp the use of solitary confinement. She’s also covered stories about police reforms put in place under consent decrees in Chicago and other cities and on the Chicago Police Department’s effort to expand community policing. For more than two decades with NPR, Corley has covered some of the country’s most important news stories.  She’s reported on the infamous Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida, on mass shootings in Orlando, Florida, Charleston, South Carolina, Chicago and other locations.  And she’s no stranger to politics; she’s covered national political conventions, the campaign and re-election of President Barack Obama, and more recently the election of Chicago’s first Black woman and lesbian mayor, Lori Lightfoot.

Nikki Jones is Professor of African American Studies at UC Berkeley. Her work focuses on the experiences of Black women, men, and youth with the criminal legal system, policing, and violence. Professor Jones is the author of two books: Between Good and Ghetto: African American Girls and Inner-City Violence (2010) and The Chosen Ones: Black Men and the Politics of Redemption (2018) which received the Michael J. Hindelang Outstanding Book Award from the American Society of Criminology in 2020. Her current research includes the analysis of interviews with police officers and video recordings of routine police encounters with the public, with a focus on encounters that involve the police and Black youth in high-surveillance neighborhoods. Professor Jones has received numerous awards for her research and writing, including the Coramae Richey Mann Award for outstanding contributions to scholarship on race, crime, and justice from the American Society of Criminology in 2018. Her expertise has been featured in print, radio, and television news media, and she has served on the editorial boards of the American Sociological Review, Gender & Society, and Feminist Criminology. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology and Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Cid Martinez is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of San Diego. His research focuses on urban politics, policing, gun violence, religion, immigration, social theory and inter-racial relations with an emphasis on Latino and African American relations. He is author of The Neighborhood Has Its Own Rules: Latinos and African Americans in South Los Angeles (New York University Press). The book focuses on how Latinos and African Americans manage violence in South Los Angeles. He is currently completing a second book manuscript which explores the link between gun violence, policing and activists’ response to use of force in Sacramento, California. The study aims to further theoretical understandings of how perceived legitimacy conditions law enforcement’s ability to address violence. Dr. Martinez teaches courses in Criminology, Juvenile Delinquency, Deviance, Social Theory and Urban Sociology. Dr. Martinez received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a Graduate Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues.

Wealth Gap – Newark Mayor, Ras J. Baraka

The Honorable Ras J. Baraka, Mayor of Newark, spoke on the wealth gap. For more information, please click here.

“The only thing that affects race relations is fair treatment.”

Speakers

Ras J. Baraka is the 40th Mayor of the City of Newark. A native of Newark, whose family has lived in the City for more than 80 years, Mayor Baraka’s progressive approach to governing has won him accolades from grassroots organizations to the White House. With a forward-thinking agenda that reduced crime to its lowest levels in five decades, addressed affordability while maintaining steady growth, lowered unemployment, and returned local control of schools after more than two decades, Baraka has defied expectations since taking office in 2014. Mayor Baraka’s futurist agenda includes a groundbreaking partnership called Hire. Buy. Live. Newark, a program that marks the first time that any US city has sought to transform its economy by combining employment, procurement, and residential strategies. As part of Mayor Baraka’s commitment to strengthen Newark’s position in the expanded technology space, the City launched a communications network of sidewalk kiosks providing free Wi-Fi, device charging, and more. His executive order designating Newark as a sanctuary city solidified his status as one of the country’s most progressive elected officials. Mayor Baraka was educated in the Newark Public Schools. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and a Master’s Degree in Education Supervision from St. Peter’s University in Jersey City. Doting husband, and father of three daughters and a son, Mayor Baraka is also published author.

Tracy Jan covers the intersection of race and the economy for The Washington Post, a beat she launched in December 2016 that encompasses racial economic disparities, immigration, housing policy and other stories that hold businesses and politicians accountable for their decisions and promises. Her work has delved deeply into reparations for slavery, systemic racism in America, and the economic and health impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Black, Asian, Latino and immigrant communities. Tracy Jan was previously a Washington-based national political reporter for the Boston Globe, where she covered the 2016 and 2012 presidential campaigns. During her 12 years at the Globe, Jan had also written about health and science policy, higher education, and Boston Public Schools. She started her career as a crime and courts reporter at the Oregonian and was a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan, as well as a Fulbright Fellow in Taiwan. She has reported from Taipei, Beijing, Tibet, and along the Yangtze River.

Elsie Harper-Anderson is an Associate Professor and Director of the Ph.D. program at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research examines the impact of macroeconomic transformation on regional economies and urban labor markets with a focus on social equity and sustainability. Her current research focuses on understanding entrepreneurial ecosystems and their impact on building inclusive economies. She is also currently examining the impact of  COVID-19 and the C.A.R.E.S. Act on African American workers, businesses, and communities in Virginia. Dr. Harper-Anderson serves on the Governing Board of the Urban Affairs Association and the Diversity Committee of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. She also served on the Citizens Advisory Board for the Office of Community Wealth Building for the City of Richmond. Prior to academia, her work included significant experience administering and evaluating economic development, workforce development, and housing programs for local, state, and federal agencies. She earned her Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.S. in Public Management and Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, and a B.S. in Political Science from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania.

Paul Ong is an urban planner and economist, research professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and director of the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge. His research focuses on socioeconomic and racial inequality, and has conducted seminal work on spatial-transportation mismatch and the urban spatial structure. He is engaged in several projects, including an analysis of the relationship between sustainability and equity, the racial wealth gap, and the role of urban structures on the reproduction of inequality. He currently leads the multi-disciplinary COVID-19 Equity Research Initiative at UCLA, which examines the class and racial disparities on health, employment, housing and education. Among his many publications, he is co-author (with Don Mar) of a recent report, “COVID-19’s Employment Disruptions to Asian Americans.” He received a master’s in urban planning from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Darren Walker is president of the Ford Foundation, a $13 billion international social justice philanthropy. He is co-founder and chair of the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy. Before joining Ford, Darren was vice president at Rockefeller Foundation, overseeing global and domestic programs. In the 1990s, he was COO of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, Harlem’s largest community development organization. Darren co-chairs New York City’s Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments, and Markers, the New York City Census Task Force, and the Governor’s Commission and serves on The Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform and UN International Labour Organization Global Commission on the Future of Work. He serves on many boards, including Carnegie Hall, the High Line, VOW to End Child Marriage, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the recipient of 16 honorary degrees and university awards, including Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Medal. Educated exclusively in public schools, Darren was a member of the first Head Start class in 1965 and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin.

Diversity & Inclusion – Houston Mayor, Sylvester Turner

The Honorable Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston, discussed diversity and inclusion. For more information, please click here.

“To be an African-American mayor leading a city in the 21st century is not about ‘power’ but about ‘possibilities.’”

Speakers

Sylvester Turner is Houston’s 62nd mayor and is currently serving his second four-year term. Since taking office, Mayor Turner has expertly managed significant challenges facing the nation’s fourth-largest city, including budget deficits, homelessness, and natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey. He is currently leading Houston’s response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Amid national unrest and calls for improving community and police relations, the mayor signed an executive order restricting the use of force and created a Task Force on Policing Reforms. Before serving as Houston’s mayor, Turner served for 27 years as the Representative for Texas House District 139. He worked on the House Appropriations Committee for 21 years and served as Speaker Pro Tem for three terms. He was appointed to several Budget Conference Committees to balance the state’s budget and serve on the Legislative Budget Board. As a nationally recognized leader, Mayor Turner is a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Transportation and Communications Standing Committee, vice-chair of the National Climate Action Agenda, member of the C40 and Global Covenant for Mayors for Climate and Energy and an advisory board member of the African American Mayors Association. Mayor Turner is also the recipient of the Ohtli Award, the Mexican government’s highest honor. Numerous publications and news outlets such as 60 Minutes, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, and FOX News have recognized Mayor Turner as a thought leader. The Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise Magazine, Cuba Today Magazine, Ebony, New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today have also featured Mayor Turner for his leadership and accomplishments. As a life-long resident of Houston, Mayor Turner is passionate about his city and continues to live in the Acres Homes community where he grew up. He is a graduate of the University of Houston and earned a law degree from Harvard University. He began his law practice at Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. and later founded Barnes & Turner Law Firm.

Natasha Korecki is currently senior national political reporter for NBC News, based in the Midwest. Her career has included a role as national political correspondent for POLITICO, covering the 2020 presidential campaign and Joe Biden. Korecki ​​covered immigration issues in-depth at the Daily Herald before moving on to the Chicago Sun-Times, where she covered the trials of former governors Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan, later writing a book about the Blagojevich case. She has won numerous state and national awards, including first place in Deadline Reporting from the Society for Professional Journalists and “2015 Illinois Journalist of the Year” from Northern Illinois University. She worked as a reporter at The Daily Illini.

Pedro A. Noguera is the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the USC Rossier School of Education. A sociologist, Noguera’s research focuses on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions, as well as by demographic trends in local, regional and global contexts. He is the author, co-author and editor of 13 books. His most recent books are The Crisis of Connection: Roots, Consequences and Solutions with Niobe Way, Carol Gilligan and Alisha Ali (New York University Press, 2018) and Race, Equity and Education: Sixty Years From Brown with Jill Pierce and Roey Ahram (Springer, 2015). He has published over 250 research articles in academic journals, book chapters in edited volumes, research reports and editorials in major newspapers. He serves on the boards of numerous national and local organizations, including the Economic Policy Institute, the National Equity Project and The Nation. Noguera appears as a regular commentator on educational issues on several national media outlets, and his editorials on educational issues have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Morning News and Los Angeles Times. Prior to being appointed Dean of the USC Rossier School of Education, Noguera served as a Distinguished Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Before joining the faculty at UCLA he served as a tenured professor and holder of endowed chairs at New York University (2004–2015), Harvard University (2000–2003) and the University of California, Berkeley (1990–2000). Noguera was recently appointed to serve as a special advisor to the governor of New Mexico on education policy. He also advises the state departments of education in Washington, Oregon and Nevada.

Kathleen Yang-Clayton is a Senior Research Fellow at the Great Cities Institute and a member of several national initiatives that integrate public administration and racial equity, including the Kettering Foundation, the National League of Cities, and the International City/County Management Association. She joined the Department of Public Administration faculty of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in 2017 after extensive experience in legislative advocacy and voter education, engagement, and mobilization. She served as Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at her college from 2021-2023, leading initial efforts to implement racial equity plans for her department by focusing on developing a prematriculation program for first-generation students. Her current work focuses on the operationalization of racial equity practices inside of large public organizations. This work aims to increase the public’s trust in government and improve government performance, especially but not exclusively in historically marginalized communities. Prior to joining UIC, she led voting rights and voter mobilization work for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago, where she helped to pass landmark legislation expanding voting rights and strengthening election systems in Illinois. Dr. Yang-Clayton graduated from the University of Chicago with her undergraduate degree in political science and doctorate in sociology and is a proud graduate of the Chicago Public Schools.

Gail C. Christopher is an award-winning social change agent with expertise in the social determinants of health and well-being and related public policies. She is known for her pioneering work to infuse holistic health and diversity concepts into public sector programs and policy discourse. Dr. Christopher recently retired from her role as Senior Advisor and Vice President at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), where she was the driving force behind the America Healing initiative and the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation effort. She also served as Kellogg’s Vice President for Program Strategy. From 2007-2017, she led several other areas of foundation programming. These include Food, Health and Well-Being, Leadership, Public Policy, Community Engagement and place-based funding in New Orleans and New Mexico. In 2015, she received the Terrance Keenan Award from Grantmakers in Health. She chaired the Board of the Trust for America’s Health from 2012-2022. In 2019, she became a Senior Scholar with George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Dr. Christopher also became the Executive Director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity (NCHE) in November 2019. NCHE is a national nonprofit based in Washington, DC. Since 2020, she has served as Director of the Transforming Public Health Data Commission, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She is the visionary for and architect of the WKKF-led Truth Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) effort for America. TRHT is an adaptation of the globally recognized Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) model. TRHT evolved from the decade-long WKKF America Healing, racial equity and racial healing initiative. In August of 2017, Dr. Christopher left her leadership position with WKKF to launch the Maryland-based Ntianu Center for Healing and Nature; and to devote more time to writing and speaking on issues of health, racial healing and human capacity for caring. A prolific writer and presenter, Dr. Christopher is also the author or co-author of three books,  hundreds of articles, presentations and publications, and contributed a monthly column in the Federal Times. Her national print and broadcast media credits are numerous, and include The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Times, National Journal, Essence, “Good Morning America,” “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” National Public Radio and documentaries on PBS and CBS. She holds a doctor of naprapathy degree from the Chicago National College of Naprapathy in Illinois and completed advanced study in the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in holistic health and clinical nutrition at the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities at Union Graduate School of Cincinnati, Ohio.

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