This semester, the Levitt Center and the Colleges and Community for Unity and Change is sponsoring an eight-part Speaker Series called “Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform in Herkimer and Oneida Counties.” The event takes place every Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and is broadcast over Zoom, radio, and the local television. In response to the Black Lives Matter protests and the increase in awareness concerning social justice issues over the summer, this series aims to “shed light on the complex issues related to racial equity and criminal justice reform” using the resources at the disposal of the four colleges in Oneida County, including Hamilton. Additionally, this series will help inform an agenda which will be presented to the Governor of New York, who will require “a plan of action for law enforcement reform by April 1, 2021.” The goal is to help “support and improve law enforcement and criminal justice in our area.”

The first of these events took place on Sept. 23, titled “Black Lives Matter: The Movement and its Importance to All of Us.” It was an introduction to the series and featured a presentation by Professor Clemmie Harris of Utica College with responses from Professor Bernard Hyman of Utica College and Delvin Moody of the Utica City Council. Through moderation by Professor Frank Anechiarico of Hamilton College and a half-hour question and answer session, topics such as Mayor Bloomberg’s stop and frisk mandate in New York, All Lives Matter versus Black Lives Matter, and the history of the Black Lives Matter movement were discussed. Professor Hyman discussed his own path from excusing or trying to reason with police brutality to becoming furious with how the system continually enables a lack of justice and accountability. Councilman Moody described America’s current social climate and increased desire for justice as the “new voice of an old song.” The speakers also referred to peaceful protest and consistent action as the path forward, with Professor Hyman noting that over 93% of protests over the summer were just that.

Students in attendance included those in a class called “Crafting Criminal Justice Reform,” which is yet another facet of the “effort to help local police departments and municipalities formulate evidence-based reforms to address problems in policing and criminal justice, from racial disparities to handling of domestic violence situations and more.” One of these students, Jonina Mignon ’21, mentioned enjoying learning more about how the American government’s “inherent structure gives rise to movements like Black Lives Matter.” Additionally, what particularly struck her is the conversation panelists had concerning the use of language in the movement, specifically “why Black Lives Matter, and that specific phrase, can be so polarizing to some.”

Will Andriola ’21, another student who attended, spoke to how this lecture series represents an opportunity to help “make America a more just and equal place” and is a way to “learn more about what can be done to make our system more just for everyone.”

Mignon similarly stressed the importance of the speaker series, adding, “it’s easy to think about our community as an isolated bubble, [but] getting involved in this webinar series is one great way to be specifically informed about what’s going on in our community.” Mignon cited the speaker series’ designation as part of an ongoing and local collaboration between colleges, politicians, judges, and law enforcement to improve criminal justice and policing in Oneida and Herkimer Counties specifically as integral to the series’ impact, noting that the series and the “policies we’re recommending and working to implement will directly affect citizens in not only our community, but our surrounding neighborhoods.”