July Community Safety and Healing Panel Proves Prescient Amid Current Campus Tensions

It has been a tense semester for the Cornell community. Safety and healing are on people’s minds. 

“I was honored to sit down in July with the 2023 High Road Fellows in Buffalo to discuss community safety and healing within criminal justice,” said Jodi Anderson Jr., director of technological innovation at ILR’s Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative (CJEI). “Our conversation remains as relevant as ever.”

Although the discussion focused on criminal justice, the panel underscored the universal need to fight injustice with resources and opportunities for employment, economic participation, and meaningful community contributions.

Anderson Jr. was joined on the panel by Jerome Wright, director of the HALT Solitary Confinement Campaign, and Cerise Sutton, site director of the Center for Employment Opportunities. 

In justice reform, technology enhances advocacy, collaboration, and policy development. Data analytics, social media, and other digital tools empower organizations and activists to reach wider audiences. The result is greater transparency and significant change at scale. 

“Of course, each injustice is unjust in its own way. Access to technology may not be a one-size-fits-all solution, but it can be a building block towards some badly needed stability and opportunity,” said Anderson Jr.
 

The Buffalo High Road Fellowship program has long been a beacon of community-empowered change and collaboration. The program connects students with local leaders driving change, particularly in criminal justice reform, community reintegration, and economic empowerment. 

A pillar of the program is the collaboration between Buffalo Co-Lab and the Partnership for the Public Good (PPG). PPG is driving initiatives with its partners to propel Buffalo towards a just and equitable new economy. This partnership provided a spectacular foundation for the collective impact discussed during the panel. 

Cathy Creighton, director of ILR Buffalo Co-Lab, and Kricky Ksiazek, High Road Program coordinator, organized the panel. 

A tour of M&T Bank’s Tech Hub led by Chief Diversity Officer Glenn Jackson concluded the day and reiterated the promises of technology to change and uplift communities.