This year, Fair Chance Organizer Sandra Johnson will be attending the “FreeHer Conference,” hosted by The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The Conference takes place from October 13 – 15, 2023, with participants arriving on October 12.
The Council started with a group of women incarcerated in federal prison in Danbury, CT., in 2010. The Council’s mission is to end the incarceration of women and girls. It works to dismantle the criminal legal system’s forced separation of women and girls from their children, communities, and loved ones, through local organizing, public awareness education, movement lawyering, and its national #FreeHer Campaign. Using participatory research, coalition work, and building a think tank, the Council advocates on all issues to end the incarceration of women and girls. It also organizes against the incarceration of women globally, through its International Network.
“I am attending the conference for the first time. I hope to bring the expertise and resources of LAAW regarding the challenges formerly incarcerated people have with employment once they move away from incarceration due to those conviction histories. I am also looking forward to experiencing the healing that comes with being in community with other woman and girls who were harmed by the prison system. I hope to network, share information, and learn more about the work within and around the Council. Through this conference, I will be able to gain a better understanding of the research, data, and experiences of women and girls from all over the U.S. and the world, on issues facing incarcerated women and girls.”
This year’s conference theme is “a time to Reset, Reflect and Heal.” Using the principles of self-care, attendees can expect to replenish their energy, strengthen resilience, and sustain commitments to the movement. There will be workshops and presentations exploring issues underlying the incarceration of women and girls and efforts at advocacy and legislation to effect change and dismantle the prison industrial complex. Among the Conference’s events and guests will be comedian, television and movie actor, Kim Whitley, who will serve as host to up and coming women comedians performing at the conference.
Look out for updates, including pictures and highlights from Sandra and the Conference. We wish Sandra safe travels and loads of opportunities to learn, grow, and relax during the 2023 FreeHer Conference.