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July 27, 2026

Scott Pollack, (LF), and Chad Rand were among the EJP members who attended a Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People and Families Movement regional gathering in Chicago earlier this month, where social justice advocates and organizations from across the Midwest gathered to network, build relationships, and learn from one another. 

All Invited to Attend RRP Working Group Report-Outs

Earlier this summer I invited EJP members to serve on the Reentry Resource Program Realignment Working Group to provide guidance and insight into the restructuring of EJP's reentry program areas. I'm grateful for the high level of interest, and especially to those individuals who went a step further and volunteered to serve on one of the four subcommittees that formed part of the Working Group.

Thanks especially to subcommittee chairs Christy Cannon, Chad Rand, Josh Schriftman, and Chris Getowicz.

We've heard from two of the subcommittees so far. The last two are scheduled to report on their discussions in the coming week. All EJP members are invited to attend and participate.

Tuesday July 27

5 - 6pm

Recognition & Institutional Memory: How do we honor the deportation work RRP has engaged?

Thursday July 29

5 - 6pm

Centering Incarcerated Learners: How can we demonstrate the centrality of EJP students and alumni within EJP?

You can use the same Zoom information for both meetings:

https://illinois.zoom.us/j/7031954132?pwd=TzRmanNsdDJQZ3hkVFhXMFEvcjZpQT09

Meeting ID: 703 195 4132

Password: 535917

Come to ask questions, learn about the realignment, and share your thoughts. It would be great to see you!

Take Care,

Rebecca Ginsburg

EJP Director

p.s. Keep reading to get some great reading tips from other EJP members! In the next "EJP this Week," we'll share podcast recommendations!

Upcoming EJP Events

EJP August Lunch

Thursday August 20

12 -1pm Central

Hybrid

Join us for the last EJP lunch of summer! All welcome, to learn about upcoming EJP events and highlights of the fall semester.

Attend in person at our offices at 1001 S. Wright Street, Champaign, 2nd floor or connect via Zoom.

(Zoom attendees are welcome to join at 12:10, as it takes a few minutes for those in person to serve themselves and be seated.)

Lunch is on EJP and there are always veggie and vegan options.

If you have any questions or concerns, or need any accommodations to fully participate, please reach out to events@educationjustice.net.

Becoming a Center Update

Thursday August 27
4 - 5pm Central
Hybrid

We hold monthly updates on the progress we are making towards becoming a center at UIUC. It's been a long journey and becoming a center (as opposed to a research project) has many implications.

Future updates are scheduled for:

Thurs Sept 29, 5 - 6pm

Tues Oct 13, 12 - 1pm

You're welcome to share your questions and concerns on the RSVP form, link coming, so we can be sure to address them at the meeting.

If you have any questions or concerns, or need any accommodations to fully participate, please reach out to events@educationjustice.net.

EJP Friends & Family Picnic

Saturday August 29

12 - 4pm

In Person

RSVP for the annual EJP picnic! This year we're holding the picnic in Custer Park, Illinois, just outside Kankakee River State Park at a private Airbnb, pictured above. There will be plenty of room for outdoor and indoor activities. Families and friends are warmly invited.

EJP will provide grilled burgers (veggie and non-veggie), drinks, snacks, and salads. We invite you to bring your own dish to share if you like.

Children are welcome. Like all EJP events, the picnic is alcohol-free.

There is a wheelchair accessible entrance into the rec room in the basement of the cabin, with tables, chairs, and a bathroom.

If you have any questions or concerns, or need any accommodations to fully participate, please reach out to events@educationjustice.net.

Alumni Discussion

Tuesday Sept 15

5 - 6 pm Central

via Zoom

Our first alumni discussion of the fall semester will be on September 15 and feature alumni of the Education Justice Project in conversation with each other and audience members about aspects of their incarceration and reentry.

These are always stimulating events that provide sensitive and critical insight into the range of prison and reentry experiences. All are welcome to attend. Bring your questions, or simply listen and learn.

RSVP forms for this discussion and future alumni discussions will be available soon. In the meantime, please mark your calendars for the September 15 discussion. Please note that the Monday Oct 12 is reserved for members of EJP's college-in-college program.

If you have any questions or concerns, or need any accommodations to fully participate, please reach out to events@educationjustice.net.

EJP Town Hall

Thursday Sept 24

4:30 - 6pm Central

Hybrid



EJP hosts two town halls each year, providing opportunity for EJP members and interested others to discuss and learn about matters related to EJP administration and governance. Topics covered typically include staffing, facilities, status of contracts and MOUs, funding, and the like.

We'll post an RSVP link soon, inviting you to pose your questions in advance so we can be sure to have answers and data ready for you.

An agenda will be posted in advance of the meeting.

If you have any questions or concerns, or need any accommodations to fully participate, please reach out to events@educationjustice.net.

Volunteers Needed!

Reentry Simulation

Oct 10, 2026

in Person

EJP and the Restorative Justice Initiative at Penn State University are co-hosting a Reentry Simulation with the purpose of exposing structures and systems that create barriers after incarceration. 

Location: The University YMCA (1001 S Wright Street, Champaign Urbana)

Date: October 10, 2026

Volunteer Timeframe: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM.

If you are interested in volunteering with setup, station roles, acting as a floater, or takedown and clean up, please sign up below. You do not have to be an EJP member to volunteer.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Chrissy Ferree at

cferr3@illinois.edu

If you have any questions or concerns, or need any accommodations to fully participate, please reach out to events@educationjustice.net.

What EJPers Are Reading this Summer

We asked EJP leaders what they were reading this summer. Here's a sample of their responses, in hopes they inspire your own summer reading!

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson

Steve Scotti, EJP alumnus and alumni fellow:

This is a very short book. You can read it in one sitting. And it brings a great deal of clarity to your process if you are in a deep state of change. 

Sociopath, a Memoir, by Patric Gagne

Stephanie Bernhardt, events coordinator:

It's super insightful and prompts us to think about how "disorders" that are considered incurable may just be perpetuated by social exclusion and stigmatization.

Rebecca adds: I started reading this at Stephanie's recommendation and am really enjoying the author's narration of the audio version!

Learning True Love: Practicing Buddhism in a Time of War, by Sister Chan Khong

Greg Jahiel, interim chair of EJP's Advisory Council and Mindfulness Discussion Group member:

Sister Chan Khong is a peace and human rights activist. The heart of her journey has been how to practice compassionate action in the face of violence and aggression.

Africa Risen, ed. Sheree Renee Thomas et al.

Jessica Auguston, Mindfulness Discussion Group coordinator:

This book features speculative fiction by writers in Africa and the African Diaspora. So many great stories, and listening to the narrators read on the audiobook added an extra element of enjoyment.

Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li

Shaelyn Smith, Academic Director:

This one is heavy, as it reckons with the suicides of both of the author's sons. It is gorgeously written, and contains very enlightening insights about death, parenting, and respect.

The Hill, A Novel, by Harriett Clark

Rebecca Ginsburg, EJP director:

This is a fictionalized account of the author's weekly visits as a child to her mother Judith Clark, who was incarcerated at Bedford Hills Prison in New York. Several of us met with Ms. Clark and other participants in the Bedford Hills education program in 2006 prior to launching EJP.

Soo Ah Kwon adds: This would be a great summer reading group book for DCC. Here's an article about the book: https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/05/harriet-clark-the-hill-book-prison 

EJP Member Announcements

Are you an EJP member looking for weekly announcements? Please look for member announcements in your Bamboo mailbox instead of being linked to this newsletter, as they were formerly.

Paid Positions with EJP

Some EJP positions can be held virtually, some are hybrid, and some (those based at Danville Prison) require that an individual be able to regularly visit the prison. Our preference is always to hire local individuals and we especially seek candidates who have personal experience of incarceration. Click on the links below to see complete job descriptions. Most positions based at the prison are part-time.