A circle gathering of women, girls, trans, and gender non-conforming folks impacted by the criminal justice system, Saturday, May 18, 2019, 11am-5pm.

• Welcome by Ranger Emily Levine, Art in the Parks Director Kate Bicket, Future IDs collaborator Jessica Tully, and Lucero Herrera
• Cultural Power Building and Decolonization
  • Decriminalize, Decarcerate, and Decolonize – A short theatrical piece and reading of messages from “the inside” by Lucero Herrera, KI Ifopo, Jocelyn Mati, and Stacy Rojas
  • A discussion moderated by Jessica Nowlan and the Young Women’s Freedom Center with participation by Cirese LaBerge, Jenna Tomsky, Anastasia King, and others
• Future Visioning and Art Making – A facilitated journey writing and drawing one’s own Future ID with contributions from Jessica Tully, Cirese LaBerge, Jenna Tomsky, and Gregory Sale
• Closing Circle – Led by Jessica Nowlan and the Young Women’s Freedom Center
• Reception and Public Welcome – Virtual exhibition posting participants’ work on social media. The forum and Future IDs exhibition opened to Alcatraz visitors

Sisters at the Center was the May/Mother’s Day event created in partnership with the Young Women’s Freedom Center and a dedicated group of community members, including Jessica Nowlan, Jessica Tully, Jenna Tomsky, Cirese LaBerge, Anastasia King, and Gabrielle Zhuang. In the words of the Young Women’s Freedom Center, the event was comprised of “creative programming, hands-on art making, and self-care to consider ways sisters in our communities can support each other and ourselves in successful re-entry and reintegration.” Free childcare, lunch, and chair massage were provided.

Young Women’s Freedom Center’s work is led by women who have felt the corrosive effects of poverty, mass incarceration, and racist and sexist policies and social services. These women have been criminalized since birth by these systems and ideologies. The Center believes that cis and trans women and girls and gender non-conforming folks of color who have been pushed to the margins are the ones best equipped to develop and guide solutions for the freedom and liberation of all people. They are building a movement of incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, and system involved young women throughout the state.