Georgetown University (Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life)

In June 2020, the killing of George Floyd—along with the killings of Breonna Taylor and countless other black and brown people—sparked a national uprising and reckoning for racial justice and police reform in the United States. Dialogue, self-reflection, and new policies addressing systemic racism are occurring in social institutions across the country, especially our criminal justice system. Too often missing are the experiences and voices of Black women.

This Public Dialogue, co-sponsored by Georgetown University’s Women’s Center, Prisons & Justice Initiative, and Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, brought together five women to discuss how gender, race, and politics impact Black women’s involvement with and experience in the U.S. criminal justice system.