The National Council Hosted an All Women-Led Symposium Focusing on Clemency, Racial and Gender Justice, and Its Impact on Incarcerated Women in the Federal Prison System

The Symposium, Took Place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC, on June 2nd and Brought Together Formerly Incarcerated Women, Social Justice Activists, Organizers, Leading Female Movement Attorneys, Officials, Experts, and More

LOS ANGELES, July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls hosted an all-women-led symposium at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC. This event brought together formerly incarcerated women, social justice activists, organizers, leading female movement attorneys, officials, experts, and more, focusing on clemency, racial and gender justice, and its impact on incarcerated women in the federal prison system.

The National Council Partnered with The Kemba Smith Foundation, The Justice Roundtable, CAN-DO Foundation, ACLU – North Carolina, and Ladies of Hope Ministries, Inc. The group consists of organizations founded and run by formerly incarcerated women that came together at various times over several years. To combat and end the incarceration of women and girls, share resources, amplify the critical issues of the criminal justice system's impact on the poor and communities of color, and develop policies and legislation and additional resources for boots-on-the-ground organizers in the US.

The event included panel discussions with women who received clemency, shared personal experiences, and discussed the importance of clemency, the issues surrounding racial and gender justice issues, and The National Council's #FreeHer ClemencyWorks campaign, and the expectations for the current administration. The gathering concluded with the development of new strategies and unification of various groups. Updates to follow.

"Clemency is a power given to the President so he or she can be the 'fail-safe in the mechanism of justice.' Thousands of women in the Bureau of Prisons need to come home. We all have the common goal of ensuring the right thing is done, and these women are free." - Catherine Sevcenko, Senior Counsel at the National Council.

The National Council was founded in 2010 by a group of women incarcerated in federal prison in Danbury, CT. The organization works to end the criminal legal system's forced separation of women and girls from their communities and loved ones through hyper-local organizing, public awareness education, and its national #FreeHer ClemencyWorks Campaign. The National Council also organizes against the incarceration of women globally through its International Network. For more information, visit www.nationalcouncil.us.

Contact:
Ariel Goode
agoode@thecouncil.us

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SOURCE The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls