The Public Square, a program of the Illinois Humanities Council, hosts a play reading and conversation focusing on the dangers of prison for at-risk youth
CHICAGO – Join The Public Square at the Southwest Youth Collaborative for a special reading of "A Day at Stateville", followed by an intergenerational conversation focusing on the needs of the youth and community to interrupt the schools to prison pipeline, take steps toward creating street peace, and to re-think safety and decriminalize our communities.
This event will take place on Tuesday, July 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Southwest Youth Collaborative (6400 S. Kedzie Ave., Chicago) in the Uni Hip Hop Room. This program is free and open to the public. Reservations are recommended and can be made at www.prairie.org/publicsquare, events@prairie.org or 312.422.5580.
"A Day at Stateville" is a short play detailing a newcomer’s first day at Stateville Correctional Facility in Joliet, Illinois. The play was conceived and written by men who participate in the prison’s "Life Transformation Through Communication" course and are serving natural life without parole. The reading will feature formerly incarcerated men Danny Franklin and Henry Robertson; Alexandrea Navedo and Elijah Salaam, Youth Leaders at Southwest Organizing Project and Outreach Workers at Safety Net Works; and will be narrated by Cynthia Rush from Cluster of Rozes. The post-reading conversation will be moderated by Alice Kim, Director of The Public Square.
This program is sponsored by The Public Square, a program of the Illinois Humanities Council, in partnership with the Southwest Community Coalition, the "Life Transformation through Communication" course at Stateville Correctional Facility, the Illinois Institute for Community Law and Affairs, and the Children and the Family Justice Center at Northwestern University. This event is part of The Public Square’s Looking for Democracy series made possible in part by the Woods Fund of Chicago.
ABOUT THE PUBLIC SQUARE
The Public Square, a program of the Illinois Humanities Council, fosters debate, dialogue, and exchange of ideas about cultural, social and political issues with an emphasis on social justice. Programs promote participatory democracy by creating space for public conversations. More information about The Public Square is available at www.prairie.org/publicsquare.
The Illinois Humanities Council is a nonprofit educational organization [501 (c) 3] dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Organized in 1973 as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the IHC creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds.
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