MLK Celebration 2025 Lecture: Dr. Rebecca Ginsburg, Finding the Beloved Community in Prison

Each year a distinguished faculty member is asked to speak on the ideals and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  This year’s speaker will be Dr. Rebecca Ginsburg, Associate Professor and director of the Education Justice Project, a comprehensive college-in-prison program that provides academic programs to incarcerated individuals and outreach services to the families of incarcerated people and returning citizens. EJP programs operate in Danville, Champaign, and Chicago, IL.

Access to college not only enhances the eventual earning prospects of incarcerated individuals. At their best, higher education in prison programs create loving, supportive, brave spaces within these violent environments. This talk explores the potential for creating education-based beloved communities within prisons and argues that truly committing to the values of such communities requires closing prisons down. 

Please email Medra Roberts-Southerland with questions or accommodation needs at  [email protected]