3:00 - 4:30
Hear from formerly incarcerated individuals who share their firsthand experiences of incarceration.
The National Park Service’s Alcatraz Island Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series aims to foster meaningful dialogue and empathy in our community by lifting up and highlighting the voices of people who have spent time inside of jails and prisons. The National Park Service believes in parks as platforms for dialogue, and Alcatraz Island, being one of the only NPS sites that interprets mass incarceration, works directly with people who have been affected in order to give them a platform to showcase their stories.
Featuring Vanessa Rojas is a community organizer and abolitionist. After serving four years in federal prison, she was released in 2021. Rojas is pursuing a Law, Public Policy, and Society degree through the Palomar Rising Scholars Program and works at Palomar Community College. She advocates for criminal justice reform with Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) and Initiate Justice Action.
A motivational speaker and member of the Awakening Exchange, Vanessa has spoken at national conferences and lobbied for reform in Washington, DC, and Sacramento. She prepares individuals for parole hearings, mentors those reentering society, and promotes successful reintegration. A published author, she contributed to the San Diego Union-Tribune and "From the Streets to the Seats." She is a Peer Support Specialist and a survivor of childhood trauma, domestic abuse, addiction, criminality and the carceral system. Rojas is a mother of three and a grandmother of two.
Connect:
National Park Service Alcatraz - Website
Community & Neighborhood
Build connections with others in our local programs.
Summer Stride
Summer Stride is the Library's annual summer learning, reading and exploration program for all ages and abilities. Read and learn with the Library all summer long.
Jail and Reentry Services (JARS)
Learn about and increase your awareness of issues related to jail, prison, incarceration and reentry resources. Find out more about our services: sfpl.org/services/jail-and-reentry-services.