November 17, 2014 • 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM • Drake University Olmsted Center • IowaJusticeSummit.org • 515.288.7171
For Immediate Release: November 12, 2014
For More Information: Betty Andrews Media 515.288.7171 or [email protected]
National Experts Join Iowa Leaders to Address Disproportionality Within The
Criminal Justice System At Iowa Summit on Justice & Disparities Nov 17, 2014
Keynotes include the Honorable Mark Cady, Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court; Pamela Meanes, President
of the National Bar Association, Willie Barney of The Empowerment Network; Carlton T. Mayers II, NAACP
Criminal Justice Division & Redditt Hudson, NAACP Organizer & Former Police Officer
Special Note to the Media: The Iowa Summit on Justice & Disparities will hold a 10:00 AM press conference featuring
select keynotes and participating organizations speaking on disproportionate minority contact (DMC) as well as the
measures being taken to reduce it.
Des Moines…Iowa has ranked first in the nation for incarcerating African Americans per capita for far too long. Other
minorities are also greatly affected. The event will draw over 250 Iowans committed to changing this disheartening
disparity. On Monday November 17 the Iowa Summit on Justice & Disparities convenes with a charge of addressing the
minority overrepresentation. The all-day event takes place at the Drake University Olmsted Center at 2875 University
Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM and includes breakfast, lunch and amenities. The Des Moines
Branch NAACP is the presenting sponsor for the event at which working session topics will span the gamut from criminal
justice reform, racial profiling, the school to prison pipeline, personal responsibility, legislative action, and implicit bias to
actionable paths toward a more equitable system. Summit participants will hear from law enforcement, judges, juvenile
court officers, the Iowa Department of Corrections, advocacy organizations, all three branches of our state government
and many other community members and advocates. Join us. Summit registration is $109. Onsite registration is permitted.
Visit www.IowaJusticeSummit.org for full details.
According to the US Census bureau, African Americans in Iowa make up only 3.2% of the population, yet they constitute
26% of the prison population. That disproportionality ratio ranks Iowa above all other states in America. African
Americans are 13.6 times more likely than their Caucasian counterparts to be caught up in the justice system.
“This is nothing short of a crisis.” says Betty C. Andrews, who is leading the committee hosting the summit. “Iowa’s
uppermost ranking is mind boggling. There are plenty of other states I thought would have been on top,” she laments.
“We have to deal with this from within the criminal justice system and from within the community. No one has all the
answers but that’s why having this summit is so critical. Improving these outcomes around people of color can only
create a better Iowa for all its citizens.”
About the Summit Keynotes (Full bios can be found at www.Iowajusticesummit.org):
The Honorable Mark Cady Chief Justice Cady, Ft. Dodge, was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court October 15, 1998,
and became the Chief Justice in January 2011. Chief Justice Cady earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from
Drake University. After graduating from law school in 1978, he served as a judicial law clerk for the Second Judicial
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District for one year. He was then appointed as an assistant Webster County attorney and practiced with a law firm in Fort
Dodge. Cady was appointed as a district associate judge in 1983 and a district court judge in 1986. In 1994, he was
appointed to the Iowa Court of Appeals. He was elected chief judge of the Court of Appeals in 1997.
Pamela Meanes, National Bar Association President. The National Bar Association was founded in Des Moines Iowa in
1925 and is the nation's oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges. It
represents the interests of approximately 60,000 lawyers, judges, law professors and law students. Meanes speaks on the
subject of police misconduct and its disproportionate impact on the black community, calling it the new civil rights issue
of this era.
Willie Barney is the Founder, President, and Facilitator of the Empowerment Network, a united group of residents,
leaders, and organizations working to facilitate positive change in the Omaha community. Launched in September 2006,
the Network works collectively to improve the quality of life for African-Americans, the area of North Omaha and the
entire Greater Omaha area. The movement is based on 13 Covenant Areas and a strategic plan that focus on individual,
leadership, and community empowerment with the goal of transforming Omaha into a GREAT city, in every zip code and
in every neighborhood!
Carlton T. Mayers, II, Esq. is the Programs Specialist for the Criminal Justice Division of the NAACP
National office in Baltimore, Maryland. He holds a B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory
University in Atlanta, GA, a and J.D. and Master’s in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law
School in South Royalton, Vermont. Mr. Mayers volunteers with the Alternatives to Violence Program in
Maryland and the Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform, to establish and introduce reentry reform legislation
within the Maryland State Legislature.
Redditt Hudson is the Regional Field Organizer for Region IV of the NAACP. Mr. Hudson is a former St.
Louis police officer who left the force to focus on systemic problems in the criminal justice system and improve
the police/community relationship. He co-founded Project PEACE, an organization that addressed issues of
individual and community responsibility. He is also a former Racial Justice Program Associate for the
American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri (ACLU-EM).
Please visit www.IowaJusticeSummit.org for full Presenter Bios
About the Summit Host:
Betty C. Andrews is on a mission to drastically reduce disproportionality in Iowa. She founded the Iowa Summit on
Justice & Disparities in 2013 to create an opportunity for the many officials, agencies, advocates and individuals working
on disproportionality to collaborate in addressing this crisis. Also in 2013 Andrews was elected as the President of the
Iowa-Nebraska NAACP State Area Conference of Branches where she leads over 30 branches of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People. Andrews owns Betty Andrews Media and serves as the Executive Director of
Iowa’s African American Festival, I’ll Make Me a World in Iowa.
Participating organizations joining the collective exchange include: Community and Strategic Planning Committee
(CASP), The African American Leadership Forum, Iowa Justice Consortium, Polk County Sherriff’s office, Des Moines
Police Department, Iowa Department of Corrections, Spectrum Resources, Drake University Law School, ACLU, Iowa
Legislature, AMOS (the local chapter of the Industrial Areas Foundation), National NAACP, Disproportionate Minority
Contact (DMC) Subcommittee, Iowa Department of Corrections, law enforcement representatives, the Iowa Judicial
Branch and many more.
Presenting sponsor for the event is the Des Moines NAACP Branch, Power Sponsors are:
- Betty Andrews Media
- African American Leadership Forum, an
initiative of the Directors Council
- Iowa-Nebraska NAACP State Area Conference
of Branches
- Iowa Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC)
Subcommittee
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-
Parrish Kruidenier Law Firm
National Bar Association, Iowa Chapter
Urban Dreams
Spectrum Resources
-
iSupply Marketing
National Association of Social Workers, Iowa
Chapter
Registration for the summit is now open at www.IowaJusticeSummit.org. Booth space for the conference is also
available. For more information please visit the website or contact Betty Andrews Media at 515.288.7171.
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