politics

TEDxFSCJ Adventure: Community Justice: From Trauma to Connection

Equal justice is the work of all of us.

This past summer, protests over police misconduct and racial injustice touched communities across the nation. In Jacksonville, a Confederate monument was taken down and a city park renamed, and in Washington, DC, the words “Black Lives Matter” were painted in large yellow letters along a two-block section of 16th Street. But in the months since, what concrete steps have been taken to reform our criminal justice system? And what wider institutions and practices must we understand if we are to make lasting change?

Join TEDxFSCJ for Community Justice: From Trauma to Connection, a virtual event that will explore the criminal justice system with a focus on youth and communities of color. 

Hosted by Kimberly Hall, Professor of Criminal Justice at FSCJ, and Alyssa Beck, a Survivor Mentor at the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center in Jacksonville, our panel will discuss how the trauma of racism is intergenerational; the impact of public perceptions and individual bias on adolescents, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; and the best ideas, existing resources, and underappreciated alternatives for achieving true and equal justice for all. 

Our speakers include: 

  • Tiana Davis, Policy Director for Equity and Justice, Center for Children’s Law and Policy in Washington, DC

  • Jacquelyn Green, Community Development Administrator, Florida Department of Children and Families

  • Kelly Roy Kemp, Deputy, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office

  • Selena Webster-Bass, CEO, Voices Institute in Jacksonville

This virtual event is free and open to the public, but all attendees must register. 


The event will be held February 11, 7-9 p.m. EST. Online check-in begins at 6:50 p.m. EST.


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Tiana Davis

Tiana Davis, M.S.W., is the Policy Director for Equity and Justice at the Center for Children’s Law and Policy (CCLP). In this capacity, Davis works with national, state and local leaders to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in the youth justice system. With more than 17 years of experience in the fields of juvenile justice and public policy, Tiana was Director of Community Programming for the Baltimore (MD) Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, after serving as the Coordinator for a local racial equity initiative in Baltimore County. She earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

 
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Jacquelyn Green

Jacquelyn Green is Community Development Administrator for the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF).  Her experience encompasses healing-centered community engagement public and private agency policy and crisis management, media relations, and healthcare. Prior to joining DCF in 2007 she was Media Relations Officer for the City of Jacksonville and editor of the local, state and national award-winning Neighborhoods Magazine.  Her career highlights include the development and direction of the statewide crisis management and public safety policy for the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice in Richmond, VA and being an editorial clerk at The Wall Street Journal, Houston Bureau.

 
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Kelly Roy Kemp

Deputy Kelly Roy Kemp has served in law enforcement for the last 29 years. Deputy Kemp has worked with the youth of St. Johns County as a School Youth Resource Deputy and as the Juvenile Civil Citation Coordinator.  He is also an Ordained Minister and serves as a Sheriff’s Office Chaplain. In addition to public service, Kemp enjoys spending time with his family and serving the Lord and our community.

 
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Taina Angeli Vargas

Taina Angeli Vargas co-founded Initiate Justice, located in Los Angeles, California in September 2016 with the intention of activating the political power of people directly impacted by mass incarceration. Prior to creating Initiate Justice, she worked in the organizing and policy advocacy field as the Statewide Advocacy Coordinator with Essie Justice Group, State Campaigner with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and as a Field Representative for the California State Assembly. She is directly impacted by mass incarceration, with a loved one having served seven years in CA state prison.


Hosts

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ALyssa Beck

Alyssa Beck is a survivor and victim advocate who uses her past experiences (“CBS 48 hours: Live to Tell: Trafficked”) as a means to raise awareness of human trafficking while challenging public misconceptions. Previously an Advocacy Specialist at the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center with the Open Doors Outreach Network, Allyssa now serves as a Survivor Mentor and consults with and advises civic leaders in anti-human trafficking, experts in girl-centered relations and legislators to develop laws and practices that support survivors of sex trafficking and youth involved in the justice system. In addition to her work with The Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center, Alyssa is a member of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Juvenile Justice Youth Advisory Council and was recently appointed a position within Florida's Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention State Advisory Group. She has been awarded as one of the Department of Juvenile Justice Youth Ambassadors for the state of Florida and Superhero for Superkids Young Advocate award.


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Kimberly Hall

Kimberly is a professor of criminal justice at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) and advisor of Theta Sigma Chi, the FSCJ chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association - Lambda Alpha Epsilon.  Kimberly was a doctoral research fellow at the University of Maryland, where she studied criminology and was sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security to work on the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START).  Kimberly earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Alabama where she studied criminal justice and psychology.  Kimberly is passionate about helping students succeed and is dedicated to working with criminal justice professionals and individuals to enhance student learning and improve the Jacksonville community.

TEDxFSCJ Women: Fearless

In this moment, women’s leadership is more important than ever.

This is an uncertain time. And yet, amid the environmental, political, and economic challenges confronting us at every level, now is the time to engage.

Join TEDxFSCJWomen for Fearless, a virtual event featuring prerecorded talks from TEDWomen 2020 as well as a live and locally organized line-up of speakers. This year’s TEDWomen conference will showcase venues from around the world, including Lagos, Nigeria, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Montreal, Canada, Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Sydney, Australia.

After screening select talks from TEDWomen 2020, our live speakers will take the virtual stage. Hosted by Action News Jax anchor and reporter, Lorena Inclán, our speakers include:

  • Ms. Shawana Brooks, Founder of 6 Ft Away: Public Art Agency

  • Dr. Diana L. Greene, Superintendent, Duval County Public Schools

  • Dr. C. Nicole Mason, Ph.D., President and CEO, Institute for Women’s Policy Research

  • Dr. Claire Thomas, Desk Officer for Botswana and Namibia, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Southern Africa Affairs

Join us as we explore how women are leading us into the future at the crossroads of the local and the global, the national and international.

This virtual event is free and open to the public, but all attendees must register


TEDxFSCJWomen 2020 will be held Saturday, November 14, 7-9 p.m. Online check-in will begin at 6:50 p.m.


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Shawana Brooks

Shawana Brooks is a literary artist and avid public speaker for her various roles as a curator focused on the relationship between artists and their communities. Her art revolves around personal storytelling infused with issues of social justice. She is the founder of a public arts agency that strives to amplify Black artists through representation and storytelling. Brooks’ work has been highlighted in the national media (“Morning Edition: NPR”), and she was selected as the first official curator for the Jacksonville Public Library. Recognized by her peers, she received the 2018 Robert Arleigh White Award for Artist Advocacy from the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville as the first Black person to win the award. Two years later, Shawana made history again winning the council's highest honor, the Helen Lane Founder Award.

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Diana L. Greene

Dr. Diana L. Greene began her tenure as Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), the 20th largest school district in the nation, on July 1, 2018. Prior to becoming a superintendent in Duval County, Dr. Greene served as Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Instructional Services in Manatee County. During her 33-year career as an educator, she has spent time as a teacher, assistant principal and principal as well as in curriculum development, staff development and senior executive leadership. On a personal note, Dr. Greene’s father served in the Air Force, and she grew up living in locations all over the United States and abroad. She is married to James Greene, an independent financial advisor and retired Navy veteran; they have two sons, Aldon and Joshua.

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C. Nicole Mason

As one of the nation’s foremost intersectional researchers and scholars, Dr. C. Nicole Mason brings a fresh perspective and a wealth of experience to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). For the past two decades, Dr. Mason has spearheaded research on issues relating to economic security, poverty, women’s issues and entitlement reforms; policy formation and political participation among women, communities of color and youth; and racial equity. Prior to IWPR, Dr. Mason was the executive director of the Women of Color Policy Network at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, the nation’s only research and policy center focused on women of color at a nationally ranked school of public administration. She is also an inaugural Ascend Fellow at the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C.

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Claire Thomas

Claire Thomas is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, and she is currently Desk Officer in the Africa Bureau, Office of Southern African Affairs covering Botswana and Namibia.  Previously, Claire served as Vice Consul in Chennai, India and as Environment, Science, Technology and Health Officer in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.  Before becoming a diplomat, Claire was a Product Manager in the software and analytics sector in Silicon Valley.  She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics and a B.A. in Russian and Linguistics from the University of Lund in Sweden.  Originally from the suburbs of Boston, Claire went to high school in Brooklyn, NY and is married with two grown daughters and a teenage son.


Host

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Lorena Inclán

Lorena Inclán, reporter and weekend anchor of Action News Jax This Morning, joined the Action News Jax team in 2012. Before moving to Jacksonville, Lorena was a multimedia journalist for Univision Orlando. Lorena began her broadcast journalism career in the Texas Panhandle. While there, she was the only bilingual anchor, reporter and producer for KFDA NewsChannel10 and its sister station, Telemundo Amarillo. She got her start in the TV industry by working behind the scenes as a camera operator and studio technician at WTVJ NBC6 in South Florida. The daughter of Cuban immigrants, Lorena was born and raised in Miami where she attended the University of Miami and earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication.


TEDxFSCJ Salon: Lift as We Climb: Women, Race & Politics

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The salon will be held Thursday, February 16th, 2017at FSCJ-Downtown Campus, Building A-1068, from 6-8 pm.

Jacksonville boasts a rich history of electing African-American women to political office. In fact, the first women elected to the Jacksonville City Council after Consolidation in 1967 were African American.  Breaking the glass ceiling in the world of politics is a legacy women of color proudly leave to our community; it is a bold testament to their resilience and resolve to protect the rights of all.

TEDxFSCJ will host a salon exploring how race and gender intersect along the path to elected political office. The evening will feature a panel discussion with women of color who will share their first-hand experiences working within the political process.  The panelists will address how others may enter the political arena, what it takes to run a campaign, and the challenges and triumphs of a life lived in public service. Rounding out the evening will be the viewing of select TED talks and opportunities for audience participation.


Panelists

JENNIFER CARROLL

Former Florida Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll has a long and distinguished career in the civil, military and private sectors. As Lt. Governor, Carroll sought to increase military operations in Florida and protect the state’s military bases.  As a member of the Florida House of Representatives, she sponsored a jobs package that provided tax credits to encourage companies to hire out-of-work Floridians. As Executive Director of Florida Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Carroll helped Florida secure two national veterans’ cemeteries, three veterans’ nursing homes and funds for the state’s World War II monument in Tallahassee. And as Chairperson of the Florida Council on Homelessness, she sought to provide enhanced services for solving homeless problems across the state, particularly within the veteran community.

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MIA L. JONES

Current Chief Executive Officer of AGAPE Community Health Center, Inc., Mia L. Jones plays a vital role in Duval County’s health community. Prior to assuming her current position, Jones served as Director of Boards and Commissions and the first Health Commissioner under Mayor Alvin Brown. As a proud representative of the state’s 14th District, she spent eight years in the Florida House of Representatives and served as the Ranking Member on the House Select Committee on Health Care Workforce Innovation and Health and Human Services Committee.  Jones is a statewide and national thought leader recognized for her commitment to expanding healthcare for the uninsured and maximizing access to telemedicine in community health centers and in school-based care for children.

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JU’COBY PITTMAN

CEO and President of the Clara White Mission, Ju’Coby Pittman has spent the past 24 years serving the Jacksonville community. Under her leadership, the Clara White Mission has expanded from a soup kitchen to a one-stop community development center designed to support job training, job creation and housing for the less fortunate. Through her vision and the support of staff and board members, the Mission has developed a Social Enterprise Service for job creation on-site called Ashley Street Catering and Project Clean City. Pittman’s innovative training programs have been featured on the “Today Show” and she is the proud recipient of numerous accolades, including the Leadership Jacksonville Award, The Tillie Fowler Leadership Award and the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund Award.

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