W&L and VMI Host 2017 Shepherd Consortium Closing Conference and Symposium

By Drewry Sackett
July 14, 2017

“These speakers are among the most knowledgeable on the topic and will help us understand how much we must learn to effectively address the detrimental impact of some aspects of our criminal justice system on individuals, families, and communities.”

Washington and Lee and Virginia Military Institute will host the 2017 Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP) Frueauff Closing Conference and Symposium July 30 and 31.

A symposium on “Criminal Justice, Race, and Poverty” will be held Monday, July 31 at VMI’s Center for Leadership and Ethics and will feature speakers Paul Butler, Georgetown University; James Forman, Jr., Yale University; and Robin Steinberg, Bronx Defenders.

Forman is the author of a new book, “Locking up Our Own,” and Butler’s forthcoming book is “Chokehold: Policing Black Men.” Steinberg will address “Re-entry for Dignity and a ‘Productive Life.’” Sarah Farmer of Yale University Divinity School and a former Berea College Shepherd Intern, will moderate a panel discussion.

“These speakers are among the most knowledgeable on the topic,” said Harlan Beckley, SHECP executive director. “They will help us understand how much we must learn to effectively address the detrimental impact of some aspects of our criminal justice system on individuals, families, and communities.” He reports that the Consortium is overdue for an in-depth examination of the connection between incarceration and poverty, a relationship fraught by racial issues.

On Sunday, July 30, W&L will host the Frueauff Closing Conference in the Ruscio Center for Global Learning. Nearly 120 Shepherd Interns will report on their eight-week summer internships and the future direction of their studies. The 2017 Cohort of Shepherd Interns represents the 20^th cohort, with a total of over 1,300 Shepherd Interns in the field since 1998. This milestone will be celebrated at a banquet on Sunday evening.

The W&L community is welcome to attend both the Symposium and the Closing Conference and Banquet. Registration is required; the Symposium cost is $30 and the closing conference and banquet cost is $55.

To learn more and register, please visit the Shepherd Consortium registration page.

These events are made possible by the Charles A. Frueauff Foundation and both institutions of higher education.