This Community Conversation features a make-up presentation from Portland State University scholars Sarah Martin, Candle, and Sasha zAy, who were originally scheduled for the virtual Incarcerated Scholars Conference in October.

The Ronald E. McNair scholarship seeks to empower underrepresented communities, opening pathways to a graduate degree. At the time of this presentation's proposal submission, these three scholars are the first three incarcerated scholars awarded the Ronald E. McNair scholarship. Higher Education is a human right, and a graduate degree pathway should exist for incarcerated scholars. Centering these scholars’ experiences elucidates the present pathways, and lack thereof, to graduate degrees; sharing these scholars research theses expose problems in the carceral system and the epistemic systems underlying.

The scholars’ theses, respectively, cover:

1. Protests, the Movement for Black Lives, and Epistemic Justice
2. Justice-impacted mothers and their children
3. Transgender women in prison and carceral dehumanization

Community Conversation attendees will learn about the scholars' thesis topics as well as their research process while incarcerated and graduate degree ambitions.

We will follow our ISC presentation format for this event: scholars will present for about 30 minutes, leaving ample time for a Question & Answer session with the audience.

Join us to hear from these scholars directly and to catch an ISC presentation you may have missed at our October conference!