Broadway Advocacy Coalition and Columbia Law School Present THE INVITATION: JUSTICE INVOLVED

The Broadway Advocacy Coalition and Columbia Law School will host the next installment of the event series, The Invitation, on Sunday, April 23, 2017. The series was created to spark dialogue and action around social and racial justice, and this month's event will focus on mass incarceration and the criminal justice system-- how people directly affected by the criminal legal system collaborate to decarcerate prisons and rebuild communities. It will feature speeches from formerly incarcerated leaders alongside performances by Tony Award nominee Tonya Pinkins (Caroline, or Change, Rasheeda Speaking), Anthony Lee Medina (Hamilton), Dyllon Burnside (NBC's Peter Pan Live, Holler if Ya Hear Me), Stacey Sargeant and more.

The artistry and activism of those directly affected has already begun to transform lives and communities, and this performance will feature examples demonstrating this power. By linking "artivists", "leaders with conviction", students, activists, legal scholars, policymakers, students, and community activists, the performance will help build public understanding of the dire consequences of mass incarceration, for people both inside and outside the system, and the will for positive change. It will help us see that, in an era of mass incarceration, we are all justice involved.

Following the performance, event participants will have the opportunity to participate in a facilitated "history of the future" dialogue.

Previous Broadway Advocacy Coalition events have featured artists such as Condola Rashad, Ben Vereen, Jeanine Tesori, David Henry Hwang and policy experts like New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Columbia Law School Professor Bernard Harcourt, collaborating to build understanding and inspire hope to creative positive change in a polarized political landscape.

The event will be open to the public and livestreamed. Attendees can RSVP via EventBrite.

The Broadway Advocacy Coalition is a group of Broadway artists committed to creating a space for the Broadway community to get engaged in advocacy work- off the stage. Currently Co Producing a monthly series of performance, dialogue and discussions around political justice and social awareness, BAC aims to educate, enlighten and empower artist to participate in the fight for social change. The founding members include Jacquelyn Bell, Amber Iman, Cameron J. Ross, Britton Smith, Adrienne Warren & Christian Dante White.

The Invitation is an ongoing, monthly series produced by Broadway Advocacy Coalition and Columbia Law School. Past events have included: Sanctuary Cities and Immigration Edition, The People vs Hate, The American Hangover and the Broadway for Black Lives Matter concert.

More information can be found on the Broadway Advocacy Coalition website: bwayadvocacycoalition.org

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Twitter: @BwayAdvocacyCo

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