| Hi there, | Can you believe April is almost here? That’ll be a big month for a lot of reasons, from Public Health Week to some of Texas’s first truly hot days. But for us, April is special because it’s Second Chance Month—celebrating the leadership and resilience of formerly incarcerated and system-impacted Texans. As we get ready for a busy April, we’re also looking back on an exciting and rewarding March. Here’s what the team at the Texas Center for Justice and Equity has been up to and where to find us next month. | |
| | Amplifying family reunification. Thanks to you, we reached our donor goal during Amplify Austin AND unlocked two special gifts that provide even more support for our work! After fighting to pass a new family reunification law at the Texas Legislature, we’re creating resources for parents across the state. Your help during Amplify means we can expand this work and help more Texas families get the tools to reunite. To those who invested in our work during Amplify, thank you! And if you missed your chance but still want to contribute, please visit our website. You can also learn more about our family reunification efforts here! |
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| | #BreakingTheBias. Here at TCJE, celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8th has become a tradition. Alongside the Texas Women’s Justice Coalition, we’ve hosted rallies, released reports, and sat down with lawmakers to share strategies that can help system-impacted women succeed. This year, we marked IWD with a survivors circle moderated by Truth Be Told’s Rutanya, followed by a panel discussion on the many complex challenges that women face in the criminal legal system. |
|  | Our panelists shared academic expertise, their lived experiences in the system, and advocacy resources. With a theme of breaking the bias for impacted women, we were thrilled to have these brilliant advocates join us. Watch the full panel here! |
|  | Also on International Women’s Day, we released a guide by Women’s Fellow Cynthia Simons, which highlighted the challenges and stigmas that women face in the system—and ways we can all work to break those biases. Although Women’s History Month is wrapping up, we hope this is a resource you can use year-round! Check it out it here. |
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| | Impacted Texans leading the movement to transform justice. Have you joined our Statewide Leadership Council? If you’ve been arrested, incarcerated, or on probation or parole, or if you have a loved one involved in the system, the SLC is here to help you learn how to fight for change. Right now, they’re working to reach people in every Texas zip code they can—and this weekend, they’re heading to Dallas! |
|  | The SLC will also be hosting their next open meeting (virtually) next Tuesday, April 5th! Whether you’re an experienced advocate or brand new to this work, all system-impacted Texans are welcome! To get the meeting info, please fill out the SLC interest form on our website. And our work continues during Second Chance Month with events focused on clearing criminal records, to give people who’ve been involved in the system more opportunities to succeed. We're joining our partners for an expunction clinic in Abilene on April 29th that will connect people with free resources on getting their records expunged. Although the deadline to apply for assistance has passed, you can learn more about this event here. We’re also supporting partners for an expunction expo in Waco on April 23rd! |
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| | The TCJE team on the move. Whether at virtual events or in person, our team has been busy this month! In particular, Peer Policy Fellow Maggie Luna has been working nonstop to share her expertise with people across the state and country! Maggie spoke on a panel focused on voting with a record, led by Recovery People. She was also part of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s policy briefing on the mental health crisis in the criminal legal system. AND, Texas After Violence Project hosted Maggie and her sibling Caleb, an author and activist, to discuss the intersection of their lived experience and the work they’re doing today. Also this month, Cynthia joined PEN America and a panel of guests to talk about the ways that information is restricted behind bars, including with digital tools like tablets that can be a double-edged sword. And coming up this week, Harris County Project Attorney Jay Jenkins will join Rothko Chapel’s multi-day symposium on civil rights, featuring powerhouse guests like Michelle Alexander and Marshall Ganz; Jay’s panel will focus on policing, criminal justice, and the prison industrial complex. Our team has also been able to meet up in person, which is always a source of joy! In Houston, Policy Analyst Sarah Reyes and Director of Policy and Advocacy Alycia Castillo attended the Juvenile Law Conference. And in Dallas, Maggie and Dallas County Project Director Leon Theodore joined All In Together for a community engagement day! |
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| | Spring cleaning! You’ve probably seen our emails about cleaning up your inbox and our email list this spring. But if you haven’t, check out this quick survey where you can choose the topics that you’d like to hear about from our emails. It just takes a minute and will help make our communications—and your experience—better! |
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| | Five minutes with the TCJE team. As we reach the end of Women’s History Month, we asked Cynthia to tell us about a woman from history who inspires her. She shared: Harriett Tubman is a woman who has greatly inspired me and that I am very intrigued by. Her resilience and dedication to a cause she thought was of more value than her own life is something that resonates with me. Without fear and with self-taught knowledge, she helped slaves get to freedom, risking her own life with the goal of the greater good in mind. I admire her strength and her passion for all humanity. |
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| | On that note, we'll wrap this up for March! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up with our work during Second Chance Month, and as always, please let me know if you have any questions about our work. With gratitude,
Leah |
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| | Texas Center for Justice & Equity
Formerly Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
1714 Fortview Road, Suite 104 | Austin, Texas 78704
(512) 441-8123 |
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