The 'Sweet Taste of Justice' was a Huge Success!
The "Sweet Taste of Justice" event, hosted last week by the Campaign for Youth Justice, was a great success! It was a night of celebration of the successes of the campaign and its allies' successes in working towards its mission of ending the practice of trying, sentencing and incarcerating youth in the adult criminal justice system, as well as a surprise award presentation to CFYJ President & Founder, Liz Ryan.
Parent Advocate and Organizer Tracy McClard, Founder of Families Organizing for Reform of Juvenile Justice in Missouri, shared with the crowd that, "We have had some major successes, including the passage of 'Jonathan's Law', earlier this year, named for my son...This was a huge achievement and would not have been possible without the support and direction of the Campaign for Youth Justice."
Abby Anderson, Executive Director of the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, stated that, "CFYJ was an essential partner in Connecticut's successful Raise the Age campaign and is a national force against policies that make the grave mistake of giving up on kids."
The funds raised from this special event will be utilized to activate more state-based campaigns throughout the country by promoting the involvement of young people and their parents and families who are most affected by these punitive policies.
Rashad Hawkins, Youth Organizer at the Just Kids Partnership in Maryland, made an urgent plea to the crowd saying that, "With your help and support, the Campaign can continue to help other states reverse these troublesome laws in the same way they are assisting our efforts in Maryland."
Katayoon Majd, Program Officer at the Public Welfare Foundation, told the crowd that, "There are a lot of interests out there who want to protect the status quo and block reform and who have more money and political power than the Campaign. But the Campaign has shown these interests it's a force to be reckoned with. But with more, it could do more. Which is where you come in. I urge you to do what you can to give to the Campaign. Every dollar you can spare will be a dollar well spent."
As the event concluded with a big thank you from Eddie Ferrer, CFYJ's Board Chair and CFO of , Eddie urged everyone to listen in to the Diane Rehm show on National Public Radio the next day, featuring the new "State Trends" report and CFYJ's CEO Liz Ryan. For those of you who missed it, you can hear it here.
DC Lawyers for Youth
The Campaign thanks all of those that contributed to the success of this great event!