Livingstone College

Criminal Justice Reform: A Critical Conversation Town Hall Meeting | 3:00 p.m., March 23, 2022 Panelists Robert Rooks Robert Rooks is one of the nation’s premier criminal justice reformers with more than two decades of experience as a grassroots organizer, strategist and movement leader. He is an expert in building and scaling social justice organizations and has been instrumental in winning groundbreaking criminal justice reforms across the country. Under his leadership, REFORM is promoting smart reforms that reduce unnecessary supervision and create pathways to work and wellbeing. REFORM has won major legislative reforms to transform probation and parole systems in states as diverse as California, Georgia and Mississippi and lifted up the experiences of people on supervision to educate the public and build support for broader change. Prior to REFORM, he co-founded and served as the CEO of Alliance for Safety and Justice (ASJ), the largest state-by-state public safety reform organization in the nation; and served as Criminal Justice Director for the NAACP, where he launched the “Misplaced Priorities – Educate Not Incarcerate” campaign, partnering conservatives and liberals to reduce state prison populations. In 2019, he was recognized for his pioneering work with a Champion of Justice Award by the Bipartisan Justice Center. Louis Reed Louis L. Reed is the Sr. Director of Membership and Partnerships for the REFORM Alliance. He brings to the REFORM Alliance years of experience in government, criminal justice expertise, policy advocacy, public health, and personal impact, serving nearly 14 years in federal prison and several …

National NAACP, criminal justice reform leaders to participate The nation’s prisons are filled with people who violated probation or parole by visiting a loved one, attending a family barbecue or for picking up their children from daycare. For recording artist Meek Mill, it was popping a wheelie that caused a judge to sentence him to up to four years in prison, sparking the popular #FreeMeek movement and docuseries on Amazon Prime by the same name. Mill, who served five months before being released, has decided to use his power to take action for the millions more who are incarcerated for technical probation violations. He, along with Michael Rubin, a co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, Grammy award-winner Jay Z and Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, among other world-class philanthropists, founded Reform Alliance, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to transform probation and parole by changing laws and systems. The group will hold a Criminal Justice Reform Day on the campus of Livingstone College on March 23, signaling the launch of its partnerships with historically black colleges and universities across the country. The all-day event will include breakfast with key stakeholders; lunch on the lawn with students, featuring recording artist 2KBaby; and a town hall meeting open to the public. During lunch on the lawn, members of Reform Alliance and 2KBaby will interact with students and bring their attention to Reform’s efforts. Rooks; Louis Reed, senior director of membership and partnerships; Britton Smith, senior organizing strategist; and 2KBaby will …

Livingstone College will host is third installment of ‘Fridays at the Stone’ on Feb. 18 at its School of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts, 530 Jake Alexander Blvd., South. Networking begins at 7:15 a.m., followed by an hour-long program that starts promptly at 7:30 a.m. Each program features three elements: A Livingstone College program spotlight; a minority local business/nonprofit spotlight; and an alumni spotlight. The February program will spotlight the college’s Department of Sport Management, Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts, featuring Dr. Charles Crowley, associate professor and department chair. Under Crowley’s leadership, a delegation of Livingstone students has participated in the past three Super Bowls for experiential learning. The business spotlight is Harry McLaughlin of McLaughlin’s Grocery, located directly across the street from Livingstone’s main campus. He is also a new member of the Salisbury City Council. The alumni spotlight will feature Dr. Bryant and Kay Wright Norman, both 1964 graduates of Livingstone College. Dr. Bryant Norman is a retired dentist and his wife, Kay Norman, is a former educator and music teacher, who served many years on the Rowan-Salisbury Schools Board of Education. “Fridays at the Stone” is an intentional effort by Livingstone College to network and engage more with the community and business leaders, to facilitate relationship building and community partnerships, and to provide an opportunity for the community to learn more about Livingstone College and its programs. The series is spearheaded by Pete Teague, Livingstone College special assistant to the president for community development; the Office of …