We Speak Events
Actors Danny Glover and Delroy Lindo Join Inaugural From the Fire Summer Leadership Academy for Young Men of Color at Princeton University
Leadership development, mentoring, and Rites of Passage are the focuses of the new From the Fire: Leadership Academy for Young Men on July 22-August 3, 2018. Operated by At the Well Conferences, Inc.; a provider of events for teens since 2009, the inaugural two-week boarding program at Princeton University is designed for young men of color in the ninth, tenth or eleventh grades of high school.
The Program Chair is the actor and director Delroy Lindo. He has provided memorable performances in films such as The Cider House Rules, Heist, Clockers, Crooklyn, Malcolm X, and Ransom. Lindo’s passion for the plight of minority boys is leading the actor to take an active role in the program’s development. Lindo states, “My hope is that the experience of From the Fire will give students a boost to take the next steps in whatever goals they have planned for their lives.” The keynote speaker is actor, producer, and humanitarian Danny Glover. Glover has been a commanding presence on screen, stage, and television for more than 25 years. Additional speakers include former NBA stars Charlie Ward and Jason Richardson, Honorable Ras J. Baraka, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, artist Hank Willis Thomas, attorney Kevin Harden, and music professor Aaron Dworkin.
From the Fire’s curriculum and programming is research-based and designed by educators and leaders with decades of experience in young adult education and social change activism. It is rooted in the spiritual and intellectual traditions forged in the justice struggles of African Americans. The Leadership Development component will provide transformative education in the form of small group projects, critical reading and writing sessions, and dynamic speakers.
Mentorship is offered as a form of “deep caring” to overcome widespread indifference to these most vulnerable young men. Each participant will be paired with a male mentor who will receive training and the opportunity to attend the event’s Closing Ceremony at Princeton University. The Rites of Passage component will be a journey of self-discovery that unlocks the hidden resilience of the students as fundamental to their manhood. The young men will participate in a host of experiential activities that create and hone life skills.
Full scholarships are available based upon need. Toby Sanders is the Co-founder and Director of Curriculum of From the Fire and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. He states, “We are offering guidance and instruction that encourages these students to see the power within them and others.”
Held simultaneously will be the eighth year of the At the Well Young Women’s Leadership Academy for current 10th- and 11th-grade girls of color. The actress Nicole Ari Parker will serve as Program Chair. The application deadline for all programs is March 31, 2018. Partnerships and donors are sought to secure scholarships for students of both academies. For more information and to apply, go to www.atthewellconferences.org.
We Speak Events
Atlanta Screening of The Alabama Solution Brings Together Panel of Advocates, Leaders, and Community Voices
ATLANTA, GA — Community leaders, advocates, and residents gathered in Atlanta for a special screening of the Oscar-nominated HBO documentary The Alabama Solution, an evening centered on film, dialogue, and community engagement around issues of justice and incarceration.
Hosted at 2345 Cheshire Bridge Road NE, the event brought together organizations and community members for a formal evening of reflection and conversation following the powerful documentary. The film, co-directed by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman and co-produced by Alex Duran, offers an intimate and unfiltered look into Alabama’s prison system.
At the heart of the documentary are the voices of justice-impacted individuals Melvin “Bennu” Ray and Robert “Kinetik” Council, whose experiences shed light on the realities inside the prison system while challenging viewers to consider deeper questions about accountability, dignity, and reform.
Following the screening, a panel discussion brought together leaders and advocates working in justice reform and community outreach. The conversation was moderated by Bridgette Simpson of Barred Business, who guided the dialogue with panelists representing several organizations committed to addressing issues within the justice system.
Panelists included Gerald Griggs of the NAACP, Kimberly Jones of Fork the System, Octavious Holiday of the Positive Outreach Development Society, Kevin Marshall of The Marshall Law Group, LLC, Kathryn Hamoudah of the Southern Center for Human Rights, and Christopher Willars of The Life Unit Inc.
Each panelist offered insight shaped by their work in advocacy, legal reform, and community engagement. Their perspectives highlighted the far-reaching effects incarceration can have on families and communities, while also emphasizing the importance of awareness, accountability, and continued dialogue around the issues presented in the film.
The screening was supported by several organizations dedicated to justice and civic engagement, including One for Justice, Dream.org, Barred Business, the Southern Center for Human Rights, The Life Unit, the Center for Civic Innovation, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and the Free Atlanta Abolition Movement.
The evening also served as a moment of connection for those in attendance, including family members and advocates whose lives have been impacted by the justice system. Through film and conversation, the gathering created space for reflection and for communities to engage with the realities highlighted in the documentary.
As conversations continued after the screening, the event underscored the power of storytelling to bring people together, raise awareness, and encourage deeper consideration of issues that often remain unseen by the public.
As momentum continues to grow around conversations sparked by the documentary, organizers are encouraging community members to take an additional step by supporting efforts aimed at protecting justice-impacted individuals from discrimination.
Advocates are currently inviting the public to sign a virtual petition card supporting the establishment of a statewide Protected Class Ordinance in Georgia, which would help ensure justice-impacted individuals are protected from discrimination in employment, housing, and opportunity.
You may find and share the virtual petition here:
Statewide Protected Class
https://www.theprotectedclassnetwork.org/sign-our-petition
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