BPI Alumnus Darren Mack ’13 writes about the Correction Officers Benevolent Association and its role in opposing recent efforts to close Rikers Island. His op-ed was first published in the New York Daily News and is reproduced below. For the past few months, the tragedy… Read More
BPI Blog
Content Type: News
Announcing the Bard Microcollege for Just Community Leadership
Bard College Launches the Nation’s First Tuition-Free College Dedicated to Advocacy, Arts, and Sciences HARLEM, N.Y. — The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) has announced the launch of its third tuition-free microcollege, which will open in Harlem this fall. The Bard Microcollege for Just Community Leadership will… Read More
WBAI’s On the Count – The Prison And Criminal Justice Report
In this episode, listen to an in-depth conversation with Max Kenner '01, alumnus Dyjuan Tatro '18, and Vivian Nixon, Executive Director of College & Community Fellowship who discuss the impact of federal Pell Grant restoration; the history and future of college-in-prison and why it… Read More
Alumni Opinion: The education prisoners deserve
BPI Alumna Stacy Burnett ’20 describes the value her BPI college education has had on her life and her career, and why it's important that New York State reinstate tuition assistance for incarcerated students in this op-ed that was first published in the New… Read More
Their Stories Helped Lift a 26-Year Ban on Pell Grants for Prisoners
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
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