In 2009, Kathy Boudin and Cheryl Wilkins came to Columbia after their own experiences with incarceration, to build university and community collaborations to support and advocate for people impacted by incarceration. A few years later they teamed up with Columbia University’s Geraldine Downey to create the Center for Justice which has since worked to support local and national partners including formerly incarcerated people, grassroots organizers and activists, academics, community organizations, policy-makers and civic leaders to grow, refine and deepen our collective work towards safety and justice. Because of Kathy’s vision, we are uniquely situated within a major university, and are committed to leveraging community and academic partnerships to pursue our mission, always rooted in the leadership of those most impacted by incarceration. You can read more about Kathy’s life and work here.
To carry on Kathy’s vision through the Freedom Fund, the Center for Justice will continue to dedicate ourselves to:
1. The Kathy Boudin Fellowship— a funded fellowship to support formerly incarcerated activists and organizers to produce research to support movement building
2. The Annual Kathy Boudin Lecture—a funded lecture featuring prominent activists, organizers and academics pursuing decarceration, issues of women and incarceration, justice for long-termers (parole, clemency), restorative and transformative justice, and non-punitive responses to violence
3. Leadership Development, Movement Building, and Programming for Formerly Incarcerated and Directly Impacted People including the Collective Leadership Institute, the Beyond the Bars Conference and Fellowship, and Right/Write to Heal (inside/outside)
To make a gift to the Kathy Boudin Freedom Fund, please donate here, or contact CfJ’s Operations Manager, Natalie Stephenson, [email protected]
