Last week, members of the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor community gathered in the Michigan Union Rogel Ballroom for the annual Wrongful Conviction Summit, hosted by U-M Sociology’s Project Community and nonprofit community partner Survivors Speak. 

The event, which garnered nearly 300 attendees ranging from students to community members, featured a special panel of exonerees and justice advocates. The speakers included Hakim Crampton (Justice Advocate, Author, Lyrical Educator), Ronnell Johnson (Peer Support Specialist, Mentor), Leon Benson (448 Productions LLC), Ken Nixon (President, Organization of Exonerees), and Eric Anderson (Director of Programs & Operations, Organization of Exonerees).

Together, the panelists and event coordinators discussed personal experiences and system inequities in the American legal system, such as racial disparities and policy implications. Notably, the event was planned and helped run by current Sociology undergraduate students in the Project Community program led by Dr. Rebecca Christensen. In conversation with Michigan Daily reporter Kayla Lugo, Dr. Christensen highlighted the need for these community conservations, noting that “[a] lot of times we blame the individual… We don’t look at the societal factors and the fact that we have a problem with people who are getting wrongfully convicted. And that doesn’t just affect that individual; it affects their families. We’re talking about parents, children.”

A panelist speaking at the Wrongful Conviction summit

This event also worked to raise awareness of Krystal Clark’s story, who is currently enduring health problems correlated to the conditions at the Huron Valley Correctional Facility. Survivors Speak and Project Community worked together last winter to discuss these conditions during a previous community event. 

The second event of its kind, the Wrongful Conviction Summit has continued to bring light to issues like wrongful convictions, racial inequity, and injustice within the criminal legal system. Read the full Michigan Daily article here.

Dr. Rebecca Christensen and Project Community students who organized the event

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Funding for the Wrongful Conviction Summit was made possible through generous donor support. To help Project Community continue hosting impactful events like this in future years, please consider making a donation via the Michigan Giving page. Every gift, no matter the size, helps to foster meaningful change and support our students’ ongoing justice advocacy work.
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