October 6 & 13, 2024
9:30 a.m. | Assembly Room
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
October 6 | Lorraine Jackson
A Report on the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
As a delegate with the Presbyterian Women’s group to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW ‘68) Conference held in March 2024, Lorraine Jackson had the privilege of attending a number of discussions, seminars, and presentations by folks from around the world focused on the theme of “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.” Having gleaned a number of fascinating personal stories, she will present a report on her experiences and share some of her impressions from that impressive gathering.
Lorraine Jackson, a long-time member of Nassau Church and Choir member, is also currently serving as the Co-Moderator of the Presbyterian Women in the Coastlands Presbytery. She has been a Deacon and Elder and active participant on several Mission and Worship Commissions. A four-decade dedicated library and adult literacy advocate, Lorraine has served as the Director of the South Brunswick Public Library where she founded Literacy Volunteers of America, Middlesex County. She has held executive roles in The American Library Association and the International Federation of Library Associations, where she founded portable library systems in developing countries. She still teaches English as a Second Language for the Library. For many years pre-covid, she practiced weekly with her fellow Scottish Country Dancers. She also leads the Jersey Jam Scottish Fiddlers. Lorraine lives in Cranbury with her husband Bart with whom she paddles, hikes, pedals their tandem bicycle, and grows the grapes for their own Chateau Bonne Chance wine. Together they have explored over 80 countries.
October 13 | Damon Venable & Rev. Dr. Russell Owen
Spotlight on Justice: Who Should Decide Who Gets a Second Chance?
New Jersey also ranks 4th among all states in its percentage of elderly people serving life sentences. Almost 500 people incarcerated in New Jersey are age 65 or older. The Rehabilitative Release bill now pending in the N.J. legislature will provide meaningful opportunities for elders in prison to petition the courts for sentence revisions or reductions. As communities of love, faith, and justice, how are we the voice of the voiceless and/or the vote of the voteless. Come and hear the perspective on the pressing need for this Second Chance legislation from two Lifers who survived over 30 years in the New Jersey Prison System. Rev. Russell Owen and Damon Venable will share their stories accompanied by videos lifting up other voices to explain why your voice and vote on this issue are critical.
Damon Venable is a Community Affairs & Policy Specialist with the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender. He was tried as an adult and convicted to a sentence of life imprisonment for a crime he committed when he was 16. While challenging his sentence, he was released on parole after serving more than three decades in prison. During his time in prison, he continued his education and received a degree in Justice Policy from Rutgers University. After his release, he joined the NJOPD as a paralegal and is now serving in a number of roles in that office, including as a liaison for the recently launched clemency initiative.
Rev. Dr. Russell Owen, at age of 19, was sentenced to 30 to life within New Jersey Correctional Facilities. He was released on parole after serving 32 carceral years. He has earned various degrees and continues to find solace as a student, while gathering tools of freedom and liberation. While incarcerated, he was one of the original contributors/students of the NJ STEP program, which has grown into one of most successful college prison programs nationally. He has received the Esther Award from New Brunswick Theological Seminary for Transformative Radical Truth-Telling. He is a Rutgers alumni and is a member of the Phi Alpha Honor Society for Social Work. Since being released in 2021, he is now the statewide Power Organizer of Live Free New Jersey, which focuses on ending gun violence, mass incarceration, criminalization, and police brutality at the local, state, and national level. He does this in unison with Faith in New Jersey, a multi-faith, multi-racial civic engagement vehicle for faith communities and everyday people who strive to fight for social justice.