Join us for panel discussions and talk backs immediately following the performance of Amani! Soffiyah will be joining on Thursday, February 9th at 7pm. Amani grows up building a rocket ship with her father, who vows to make it to outer space: where his child can breathe easy, where there are no gangs to take his first love’s life, nor prisons to take Black boys’ best years. As Amani moves into adulthood, she seeks her voice and her own dreams. Will Amani make it to the  moon? Tickets are on sale now at nationalblacktheatre.org! 

On January 23, 2023, The Pinkerton Foundation hosted a Board & Volunteer Showcase Event in collaboration with their partners at The Memo I Never Got (MING), Columbia’s Tamer Center, and the Partnership for Afterschool Education (PASE). As part of The Pinkerton Foundation’s continued work to advance racial equity, Alliance of Families for Justice was one of the organizations that participated in this exclusive event, which included over a dozen other organizations. The event provided participating organizations with an intimate, in-person space that included attendance from Proskauer lawyers and administrative staff, Columbia alumni, and Friends of PASE, all of whom were interested in exploring opportunities for board service and volunteer events. It was an amazing opportunity to network and showcase the work AFJ does. This was a true delight to attend!

A year ago, we were proud to announce that the Alliance of Families for Justice was chosen to participate in the Movement for Black Lives Electoral Justice League 2021-2022 cohort for our work on restoring the right to vote for people who are currently incarcerated. Recently, we were honored to attend the Electoral Justice Project of the Movement for Black Lives planning and strategy retreat, from January 25-January 27, in Atlanta, Georgia. It was great to meet everyone in person and participate in productive strategizing and networking as we continue the fight against voter suppression and disenfranchisement across America!

This year, Alliance of Families for Justice will be hosting seven healing retreats! Attendance is FREE!  Information sessions are part of the application process this year and will be via Zoom, so please mark your calendar (and be sure to attend). It's time to slow down, unwind, reconnect to self and heal from the trauma of mass incarceration. Whether you are a parent who has had an incarcerated child, a family member of someone incarcerated, or you were formerly incarcerated, there is a healing retreat for you. Space is limited, so apply today for the retreat you would like to attend!  

Let’s make this year’s retreat one to remember. The memories we create together strengthen our bonds and empower us further to fight the good fight. Let’s be great together!

Alliance of Families for Justice continues to work on restoring the right to vote for people who are currently incarcerated. We are grateful for the legislative bills S. 316 (Sen. Salazar) and A. 412 (Assembly member Epstein). In addition, we appreciate the overall support and solidarity on this issue from Senator Julia Salazar, Senator Zellnor Myrie, Assembly member Harvey Epstein, Assembly member Latrice Walker and others, and want to highlight the most recent article from The Appeal on this topic. To honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day, four lawmakers explain why they introduced legislation to finally end felony disenfranchisement in New York. Senator Julia Salazar, Senator Zellnor Myrie, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, Assemblymember Latrice Walker, thank you for the commitment!

Ellen Piris Pérez joined AFJ’s Legal Support Unit as a staff attorney in November 2022. She will work with AFJ’s clients and their loved ones on parole preparation and visitation restoration matters. 

Prior to joining AFJ, Ellen worked as a staff attorney at Community Service Society’s Legal Department, which works exclusively on matters related to the perpetual punishment faced by people with conviction histories. She provided reentry legal services with a particular emphasis on employment discrimination and RAP sheet cleanup. In partnership with the John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity, Ellen extended these services to students incarcerated at Otisville Correctional Facility and Rikers Island, as well as students in the community. 

Ellen sits on the Corrections and Community Reentry Committee of the New York City Bar Association. She is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and California State University of Bakersfield.