THE RELEASE AGING PEOPLE IN PRISON CAMPAIGN
TEACHES
A HISTORY OF REVOLUTIONARY WOMEN
Free, RSVP required
TEACHES
A HISTORY OF REVOLUTIONARY WOMEN
Free, RSVP required
Thursday,
April 2, 2026
6:30pm
Doors
7pm
Event begins
Limited capacity
April 2, 2026
6:30pm
Doors
7pm
Event begins
Limited capacity
New York State currently holds over 31,000 people behind bars, the large majority of whom are Black and Latinx. One in four of these New Yorkers is currently serving a life sentence, over 1,000 of them without the possibility of parole. Close to 4,000 New Yorkers have already served over 20 years. While nearly 8,000 New Yorkers are serving parole-eligible sentences, an understaffed and racist parole board denies release to the majority of eligible people, lengthening sentences and compounding the effects of long-term incarceration. Over the last twenty years, the number of elders behind bars has doubled.
The Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) Campaign is a grassroots advocacy network created and led by formerly incarcerated people that advocates on behalf of incarcerated elders. Guided by the belief that no one—regardless of the harm they may have caused—should die in prison, RAPP advocates for an end to a punitive system that locks whole communities of Black and brown people in cages, fighting instead for an expansion of parole, compassionate release, clemency and an end to life imprisonment.
The Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) Campaign is a grassroots advocacy network created and led by formerly incarcerated people that advocates on behalf of incarcerated elders. Guided by the belief that no one—regardless of the harm they may have caused—should die in prison, RAPP advocates for an end to a punitive system that locks whole communities of Black and brown people in cages, fighting instead for an expansion of parole, compassionate release, clemency and an end to life imprisonment.
In the last four weeks alone, there have been three deaths in Bedford Hills women’s prison, two by suicide. In this roundtable conversation, RAPP’s Vanessa Santiago, Roslyn Smith, TeAna Taylor, and Laura Whitehorn contextualize how we got to this moment with a discussion on the history of vagrancy laws and the criminalization of black women’s bodies, connecting the vagrancy arrest of Esther Brown in 1917 to legacies of pushback, including women’s bail funds, prison uprisings, and the creation of solidarity networks.
RAPP advocacy day in Albany, New York, 2022
Vanessa Santiago served 22 years in Bedford Hills maximum security prison and, since her 2020 release, has been recognized with multiple proclamations and awards for her energetic service to communities affected by incarceration. In addition to her work with RAPP, Vanessa founded G. I. A. (Gift It Away), an organization that provides furniture to people being released from prison and others in need. She is deeply involved in advocating for pets with organizations like PALS (People and Animals Living Safely), the Urban Institute, and My Dog is My Home. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Criminal Justice Organizational Leadership.
Roslyn Smith is the Beyond Incarceration Program Manager for V-Day, a nonprofit organization that vows to end violence against women, girls, and the planet. She is using her personal experience from long-term incarceration as a vehicle for her work as a criminal justice activist/advocate. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree from Mercy College while incarcerated. She created a curriculum for parenting from a distance with other incarcerated mothers. Since her release after serving 39 years, she has devoted her time between her daughter and her activist/advocacy work.
Roslyn Smith is the Beyond Incarceration Program Manager for V-Day, a nonprofit organization that vows to end violence against women, girls, and the planet. She is using her personal experience from long-term incarceration as a vehicle for her work as a criminal justice activist/advocate. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree from Mercy College while incarcerated. She created a curriculum for parenting from a distance with other incarcerated mothers. Since her release after serving 39 years, she has devoted her time between her daughter and her activist/advocacy work.
TeAna Taylor advocates for children of incarcerated parents, informed by their father’s nearly two decades of incarceration. They have been engaging their community in restorative justice work for the past five years and has facilitated circles to address issues faced by students and faculty of color at their alma mater, SUNY Schenectady, that led to policy change for a more inclusive and diverse campus. They work with We Got Us Now and the HALT Solitary Campaign.
Laura Whitehorn served 14 years for the “Resistance Conspiracy case,” including attacks on U.S. government targets, police organizations, and institutions of South African and Israeli colonialism. In prison she worked to create HIV/AIDS support and education and contributed art and poetry for campaigns to defend and free incarcerated people. Released in 1999, she helped co-found Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP). She edited “The War Before” by the late Safiya Bukhari—a member of the Black Panther Party, a political prisoner, and co-founder of the Jericho Movement. Laura traveled to Cuba in 2009 and Palestine in 2016 on delegations of formerly incarcerated people and Black Panther party leaders, along with her partner of 38 years, writer/activist Susie Day.
Laura Whitehorn served 14 years for the “Resistance Conspiracy case,” including attacks on U.S. government targets, police organizations, and institutions of South African and Israeli colonialism. In prison she worked to create HIV/AIDS support and education and contributed art and poetry for campaigns to defend and free incarcerated people. Released in 1999, she helped co-found Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP). She edited “The War Before” by the late Safiya Bukhari—a member of the Black Panther Party, a political prisoner, and co-founder of the Jericho Movement. Laura traveled to Cuba in 2009 and Palestine in 2016 on delegations of formerly incarcerated people and Black Panther party leaders, along with her partner of 38 years, writer/activist Susie Day.
Due to the age and character of the building, the space is not optimized for ADA accessibility and is located up a single flight of 20 stairs with handrails. If you have questions about access, please contact us in advance of the event, and we will make every effort to accommodate you.
