A college education transformed [formerly incarcerated people's] lives. But some critics fear low-quality programs will rush in. Every time Vivian D. Nixon has publicly testified about the power of a college education to transform the lives of those behind bars, she’s drawn attention to one… Read More
BPI Blog
Content Type: News
Alumni Opinion: Felony Disenfranchisement Suppresses the Votes of Black and Latinx Americans
BPI government affairs officer, Dyjuan Tatro '18, argues that felony disenfranchisement should be understood as a racist mechanism of voter suppression. This blog post was originally posted by the Vera Institute of Justice and is reproduced below. I was released from New York State prison,… Read More
Bard at BPL 2020-2021 Fellows
The Bard at Brooklyn Public Library microcollege is pleased to announce our 2020-2021 fellows! The Bard at BPL fellowship program brings select artists, scholars, and professionals who have demonstrated innovation and excellence in their fields to engage with Bard at BPL students over the course… Read More
Microcollege Student News: Black Lives Matter mural now greets visitors at Philly’s Municipal Services Building
Bard at Brooklyn Public Library microcollege student and artist Russell Craig '22 has recently painted a mural on the entrance of the Philadelphia’s Municipal Services building honoring the Black Lives Matter Movement. This article reproduced below first appeared on WHYY PBS. The front windows of… Read More
Opinion: Unlocking the Potential of Prison Education
Tanya Erzen, founder and former executive director of Freedom Education Project Puget Sound, a partner in BPI's Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison, warns that in-person learning can't be replaced with tablets in prison. This article, reproduced here, first appeared in Inside Higher… Read More
A Note to Alumni
Dear BPI alumni community, The ongoing killing of African-Americans by police — sworn to serve and protect — could not have been expected to continue so long without dramatic response. Three months into the COVID disaster, the policing crisis has forced itself to the fore yet… Read More
Alumni Opinion: Calling on NYC Correction Officers to Support Justice Reforms Amid COVID-19 Devastation
BPI Alumna Tamika Graham ’17 issued this call for correctional staff in NYC jails to join in support of justice reform efforts in the COVID era in this opinion piece that was published in the Queens Daily Eagle and is reproduced below. By Tamika Graham Booker… Read More
Alumni Opinion: Who Understands “Lockdown” and Isolation? The Formerly Incarcerated are the Experts We Need Now
BPI Alumna Stacy Burnett ’20 challenges legislators to listen to the voices and expertise of formerly incarcerated people in the COVID crisis in this opinion piece that was published in Salon and is reproduced below. You don't see us in press conferences, but we have much… Read More
Alumni Address: BPI Alum Delivers Remarks for Public Health Graduates
Hancy Maxis ‘15 was voted to address the faculty, administrators, and his fellow students, along with their families and friends at the virtual graduation ceremony for Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Health Policy and Management Department. BPI faculty, staff, and alumni tuned… Read More
Course Continuity
Last week BPI delivered 22 boxes of course material and supplies to the six prisons where we operate. Fortunately, students already had all of their course books for the semester. These new boxes included hundreds of individualized packets for students enrolled in 60 courses… Read More