Western New England University School of Law Center for Social Justice will host "How I Survived Four Decades in Solitary Confinement" on Wednesday, November 13 at noon in Rivers Memorial Hall on the University campus. The event will feature author Albert Woodfox. The event is free and open to the public.
Albert Woodfox is one of the Angola 3, a trio of young Black men incarcerated at Louisiana’s infamous Angola prison, a former slave plantation. The Angola 3 were framed on murder charges by prison officials and held in solitary confinement after they organized to expose Angola Prison's racism, corruption and horrific prisoner abuses. Woodfox, held in solitary confinement for 44 years, was finally released in 2016 after his conviction had been overturned 3 times.
Woodfox’s book, "Solitary" has been nominated and shortlisted for a National Book Award. Woodfox has made a life-long commitment to continue his activism and advocacy on behalf of all those wrongfully imprisoned and whose civil rights have been abused by the U.S. criminal justice system. As a former member of the Black Panther Party he hopes to be a voice for the voiceless who are suffering under brutal prison conditions.
Woodfox will be speaking with his defense attorney, George Kendall, one of the nation’s leading capital defenders and civil rights attorneys. Kendall is a lecturer at Columbia Law School and director of its Squire Sanders' Public Service Initiative.
The Clason Speaker Series presents expert lectures to the School of Law. The series is named after Charles R. Clason, a prominent local attorney and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, who held the position of Dean of the School of Law from 1954 to 1970. Today, the purpose of the Charles and Emma Clason Endowment Fund is to host speakers who will enhance the academic environment of the School of Law and the University.
All Clason Speaker Series events are open to students, alumni, the University community, and the general public. For more information, contact Professor Harris Freeman at harris.freeman@law.wne.edu or visit wne.edu/law/centers/center-for-social-justice.
