Adam Foss: Swords and Shields
This event takes place in Paresky Auditorium.
Adam Foss is the founder of Prosecutor Impact, a not-for-profit organization built around the mission of improving community safety in the United States through a better understanding of the most important actor in the criminal justice system: the criminal prosecutor. Adam is a former Assistant District Attorney in the Juvenile Division of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office (SCDAO) in Boston, MA, and a fierce advocate for criminal justice reform and the importance of the role of the prosecutor in ending mass incarceration.
Adam’s 2016 TEDTalk has been viewed over 2 million times. Most recently, he appeared in the critically-acclaimed CNN feature-length documentary “American Jail.” The Mandela Foundation recognized Mr. Foss as the 2017 Nelson Mandela Changemaker of the Year. Fast Company named him one of the Most Creative People in Business of 2017. The NAACP awarded Mr. Foss with the 2017 Roy Wilkins Next Generation Leader Award.
This keynote, “Swords and Shields: A Discussion of Power, Privilege, and Opportunity,” is a discussion and exploration of the complexities of power, privilege, and opportunity through the lens of the criminal justice system. Along the way, Adam will highlight certain disparities and inequities connected to these topics, that can be observed in the context of the criminal justice system and most other essential aspects of society. Adam’s discussion will guide the audience in contextualizing and identifying how privilege impacts their own lives and communities, and facilitate self-reflection and acknowledgement of the role they play in these dynamics. Audience members from all walks of life, ages, backgrounds, and life experiences will be united through a sense of empowerment to do what they can to change these dynamics and make a difference in the community around them. Not only will the audience walk away with a better understanding of the underlying causes of inequities in the U.S., but also with a grasp on ways they can implement change within their own lives to bring our country one step closer to achieving equity for all.
To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact mph1@williams.edu.
Presented by Converging Worlds
Co-Sponsored by the Center for Learning in Action, Davis Center, Lecture Committee, College Council, the office of Vice President for Campus Life, the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and MCLA Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work, and part of a yearlong series on Race and Democracy sponsored by the W. Ford Schumann ’50 Program in Democratic Studies.
