Africana Studies Associate Professor Anne Rice recently helped organize two TEDx events as part of Proximity for Justice’s mission to empower incarcerated individuals to share their stories. The inaugural TEDx events were held in April and May at Farmington Correctional Center (FCC) in Missouri and Green Rock Correctional Center in Virginia.

“Working on these events for nearly a year, I witnessed profound transformations among the prison staff, residents, and the surrounding communities,” said Rice. “While learning about two very different prison systems, I also learned more about humanity and people's endless capacity for redemption and grace.”

Rice’s commitment to this work extends beyond her fieldwork and into the classroom, as TEDx events in prison and virtual conversations with FCC residents are part of her curriculum. Early this semester, her Prison Narratives class spoke with 25 Missouri prison residents via Teams and in November, residents will discuss issues of gender in prison in her Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies course. In the spring, the Africana Studies department will be holding a virtual speaker's series on Black Studies topics with the men at FCC. 

“This journey has deepened my commitment to fostering dialogue and understanding, evident in our upcoming initiatives, including hosting the first TEDx event in a woman’s prison in the state of Virginia.”