EJP alumnus Marcelo de Jesus (right) stands alongside Javier Reyes following their joint testimony to the House’s Higher Education Committee on March 8 in support of bills designed to strengthen higher education in prison in the state.
New Computer Server at Danville!
Thank you to Ajith Anthony, Michael Muneses, Armand Beaudoin, and all other EJPers who supported the installation of our brand new server at Danville Correctional Center last week!

Special thanks to Teneko James, Jessica Thornton, and the entire Gies team for its support, and to the Danville prison administration for allowing us to install the server. Among its many advantages, this new will make the delivery of our new Accountancy Certificate program possible. This exciting collaboration between EJP and the UIUC Gies School of Business launches next week!

This server delivery was literally months and months in the making. I understand that at least one all-nighter was involved. I'm feeling grateful for teamwork and the generosity of EJP members.


Be Well, Take Care,

Rebecca Ginsburg,
EJP Director
Upcoming Events
EJP Lunch
Wed March 22, 12 - 1pm Central
Come by our March lunch via zoom!

All EJP members and friends are warmly welcome to attend. Bring your lunch and eat while on the zoom!

There's currently no special topic for this lunch, but two EJP directors plan to attend and they can provide updates about the Reentry Guide Initiative (Lee Ragsdale) and the legislation currently making its way through the general assembly (Ashton Hoselton).

Hope to see you there.

Zoom link: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/82145287298?pwd=MHdLWEV0bllwdGRuUTlGcjUwR3BBdz09
Research Group - Molly Galloway
Fri March 24, 3 - 4pm Central
Join us for a conversation with Molly Galloway about her dissertation research on youth boxing clubs and abolition!

Molly is a former EJP member and a grad student in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

All welcome. It's not necessary to be an EJP member or a researcher to attend and learn about Molly's work. Our Research Group meets monthly.

Zoom link: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/82145287298?pwd=MHdLWEV0bllwdGRuUTlGcjUwR3BBdz09
EJP Town Hall
Mon March 27, 4:30 - 6pm
We hold a town hall each semester and encourage questions and concerns from EJP members and others.

At the Town Hall, we'll provide updates on EJJP operations, including finances, personnel, and funding matters.

Currently, our town halls are being held via zoom. When you RSVP, you'll be asked if there are any items you want to add to the agenda.

Zoom link: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/89291441422?pwd=L0ZRUkNIRUxWZlFHbngxUjc0elRHQT09
EJP Spring Retreat
Saturday April 1, 1 - 4pm Central
EJP Offices - 1001 S. Wright, Champaign
This spring we're holding our first in-person retreat since the pandemic!

Our retreats offer an opportunity to step back from our day-to-day involvement with EJP to reflect on why and how we do what we do, whether it's writing reentry guides, providing math workshops at the prison, or supporting policy change. Retreats are for sharing, supporting, connecting, and growing. We hope that EJPers from across our organization will plan to attend.

We're also going to save space to discuss Keith LaMar's situation. He remains on death row in Ohio. We have copies of his book, Condemned. You're welcome to pick one up from the EJP offices.
Nigerian Prisons
Friday April 7, 4 - 5pm Central
As part of EJP's ongoing series on prison systems around the world, please join us for a discussion of prisons in Nigeria, in west Africa.

We're fortunate to have several Nigerian LLM students working with EJP this spring. In addition to telling us about the history and mission of the Nigerian Correctional Service, they'll share about their past work with incarcerated people in Nigeria.

Zoom link: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/89291441422?pwd=L0ZRUkNIRUxWZlFHbngxUjc0elRHQT09
EJP Homecoming
Saturday August 26, 2023
Champaign
Please mark your calendar for our first ever homecoming!

On Saturday August 26, 2023 from 10am - 5pm we’ll celebrate 15 years of the Education Justice Project.

We look forward to welcoming past and current EJP members and friends on campus for a day of remembering, celebrating, and looking ahead.

Invitations coming soon!
Of Interest
3-Day Training on Healing-Centered Community Development, NY
March 29 - 31, 2023
Even if you're not able to attend this free 3-day training, hosted by H.O.L.L.A. (How Our Lives Link Together), it's worth reading their analysis of the structural roots of violence and the potential for developing organizational structures at the community level that can counter it. They focus on the role of institutional racism, given the intellectual work that has been done by Black thinkers and the fact that Black communities are most impacted by state punishment systems.
Books Banned in State Prisons
The Marshall Project
The Marshall Project has updated its list of books banned by U.S. state prison systems.

View the database to see what's banned. Read the article to see what 5 things their reporters learned about prison book ban policies while doing this research.
EJP Member Announcements
If you're a current EJP member, make sure that you keep up with important announcements, deadlines, useful updates, job notices, and more! Please click on the link below.

The most wonderful thing about this week's Members Announcements is that it features a photo of Jamie Hines, our Operations Director, who returned to work this spring after an extended leave of absence for medical reasons. Welcome back, Jamie!
Open Positions with EJP
We're accepting applications for the positions below.

EJP coordinators receive $2,000/semester stipends. The other positions are hourly. Many hourly positions can be fulfilled virtually, but of course the Danville program assistant must be able to get clearance and visit the prison Click on the links below to see complete job descriptions.

We welcome interest from current EJP members and others. Please note that prospective applicants to the VISTA position must register with VISTA online to access the application. It is is year-long position.
Coordinators Based at Danville Prison
Other Opportunities
EDUCATION JUSTICE PROJECT 
University of Illinois 
1001 S. Wright St 
Champaign, IL 61820  

"The mission of the Education Justice project is to create a model college-in-prison program that demonstrates the positive impacts of higher education upon incarcerated people, their families, the neighborhoods from which they come, the host institution, and society as a whole."