Decriminalization and Decarceration: Getting There from Here Keynote Address by Margaret Burnham

Rothko Chapel

An Act of Justice: Undoing the Legacy of Mass Incarceration Symposium "Decriminalization and Decarceration: Getting There from Here” Keynote Address by Margaret Burnham, Northeastern University School of Law Professor Welcome and Overview by Daivd Leslie, Executive Director, Rothko Chapel. Poetry performed by Audrey M., Writers in the Schools. Burnham explores the legacy of mass incarceration in the United States: how we became the most incarcerated nation in the world and what it would take as a society to undo this complex system. Burnham discusses the realities that race, class and economics play while also lifting up some of the visionary reform efforts that are underway. Margaret Burnham is a Professor of Law and African-American Studies at Northeastern University School of Law. Focusing on the history of mid-20th century racial violence in the US, she studies and pursues legal and political initiatives to remedy past racial injustices, with special attention to criminal justice institutions. She is the founder and director of Northeastern’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, which has compiled the most comprehensive archive on mid-20th century racially motivated murder cases in the US. In 1993, Nelson Mandela appointed Burnham to an international human rights tribunal investigating violations in South Africa. In 2016, Burnham received the prestigious Carnegie Fellowship, awarded to “the nation’s preeminent scholars and thinkers.”