A Special Presentation by James Bell of the W. Haywood Burns Institute
Pájaro Valley Unified School District, in partnership with the Community Action Board, Peace & Unity Coalition, Youth Violence Prevention Task Force, Santa Cruz County Probation, and the Watsonville Police Department are proud to welcome James Bell to Watsonville. Mr. Bell is the Founder and Executive Director of the W. Haywood Burns Institute (BI). Since 2001, Mr. Bell has been spearheading a national movement to address racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system. The BI, which is named after civil rights pioneer W. Haywood Burns, was recently awarded the prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Mr. Bell and his colleagues at BI work with juvenile justice systems across the country to reduce the disproportionality of youth of color. Mr. Bell guides the BI’s Community Justice Network for Youth (CJNY), a national network of programs working successfully with young people of color. Mr. Bell also works closely with the Casey Foundation¹s JDAI jurisdictions and the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change Initiative. He received his J.D. from Hastings College of the Law.
James Bell
Founder and Executive Director of the W. Haywood Burns Institute
Monday, February 9, 2015
Henry J. Mello for the Performing Arts
Doors open at 6:00 PM, Program begins at 6:30 PM
Presentation will be in English with Spanish and Mixteco translation available
This presentation is free and open to the general public
The presentation will highlight essential elements necessary for any community members interested in engaging in a successful and sustainable disparities reduction effort.
Various members of PVUSD, Community Action Board, Peace & Unity Coalition, Youth Violence Prevention Task Force, Santa Cruz County Probation, and WPD had the privilege of attending Mr. Bell’s presentation at the Rio Theatre in October and felt compelled to bring his message to the Watsonville community. Mr. Bell will provide a historical overview of racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system and the use of data to reduce these disparities specifically within our educational systems. Watsonville’s sense of unity, partnership and collaboration will be on display that evening when community members in attendance will come together to plan how we can make a difference for our youth.