Join UAlbany's Center for the Elimination of Health Disparities for a community event examining the health and well-being of individuals returning to their communities after incarceration. Our speakers will discuss how reentry is inseparable from public health, racial equity and community resilience. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Speakers include:

Stefen Short - Special Counsel for Disability Justice Projects 

Stefen R. Short is Special Counsel for Disability Justice Projects at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. He was previously Chief Counsel at Worth Rises, Supervising Attorney and Acting Deputy Director of the Prisoners’ Rights Project of The Legal Aid Society and a Staff Attorney with Disability Rights New York. Stefen has litigated and advocated for incarcerated people on matters including access to medical and mental health care, access to education, diversion from solitary confinement, free exercise and expression and protection from harm. He is an adjunct professor of law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.

John Comer - Chief Executive Officer, Architects of Justice

John P. Comer is a Senior Organizer with 20+ years of experience in organizing and working in multiple communities to build collective power.  He has led death penalty reform and abolition efforts, through working directly with family members of murder victims, as well as organizing advocacy projects with death row exonerees. These efforts led to the passing of historical legislation in North Carolina and repealing the death penalty in Maryland. John designed and implemented grassroots strategies to restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated individuals in Maryland, as well as creating the outreach strategies for public housing residents who endured substandard living conditions and years of harassment – this led to a $9 million settlement for more than 40 residents across Baltimore City. Thereafter, he designed the initial plans for the current city-wide trauma informed taskforce and strategy, while serving in a leadership role at the largest health department in the country. John eventually went on to lead the design of the organizing and outreach model as National Organizing Director for the Redress Movement, which helped to secure legislative victories and organizing milestones in various states. Comer is the Founder of The Architects of Justice, an advocacy platform which focuses on community development, organizing training and lobbying. John has impacted thousands of people across the country through his training sessions.