The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
February speaker urged us to consider criminal justice reform at a personal level
What if you were always introduced by the worst thing you have ever done? UMRA’s February luncheon speaker, criminal justice advocate Emily Baxter, posed this provocative question to inspire us to think about “the empathy and opportunity chasm” that exists between those who are caught and convicted of criminal offenses and the rest of us.
Baxter is the founder and executive director of the media-based organization We Are All Criminals (weareallcriminals.org). Her distinctive approach to advocacy includes asking people to think in very personal terms about the lifelong consequences of a criminal record. The United States accounts for 5 percent of the world’s population and 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated population, she noted. “Many policies since the 1970s have led to this mass caging. It is a tsunami of humanity,” she said, “and it is not born equally across our country.”
Furthermore, being imprisoned in the U.S. does not improve the chances for a better life on the outside. “Prison is warehousing with trauma,” Baxter said. “We need a criminal justice system that is based on rational, reasonable, and merciful plans for preventing criminal behavior.”
Her organization’s advocacy includes supporting Restore the Vote–Minnesota, a coalition aimed at restoring the voting rights of convicted felons who have served their time and are living in their communities.
—Kristine Mortensen, content editor
February Luncheon At a Glance
Tue, February 27 2018, 11:30am
Campus Club ABC room, Campus Club, Fourth Floor, Coffman Memorial Union
FEBRUARY
LUNCHEON MEETING
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.`
Featured Speaker
Emily Baxter, executive director
We Are All Criminals organization
Location
Conference Room ABC
Campus Club, Fourth Floor
Coffman Memorial Union
Menu
Beef bolognese over pappardelle; coffee and tea.
For special dietary needs, please request when making your reservations.
Reservations ARE required.
Deadline: Thursday, February 22
Prepayment of $16 per person.
Annual prepayers, please make reservations.
To reserve your place(s) and parking,
send your check payable to UMRA to:
UMRA Reservations
c/o Judy Leahy Grimes
1937 Palace Ave., St. Paul MN
55105-1728
Or, contact her before the deadline
at 651-698-4387; e-mail: [email protected].
Please honor the reservation deadline date;
to cancel, please call by Thursday, February 22
Parking
University ramps and reserved space in East River Road Ramp
with UMRA's discount coupon―$6 for the day.
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.