Taili Mugambee (second from the right), Director of the Office of Ultimate Reentry Opportunity, speaks on the COME TOGETHER panel about criminal justice rehabilitation. Zadie Wang
On November 3, about fifty community members attended COME TOGETHER, a pre-election, non-partisan event focused on bringing together members of the community for meaningful discussion. Hosted by Your Voice + Your Vote, a coalition of civic engagement organizations, the event featured three panels of community advocates focused on voting rights, criminal justice rehabilitation, and healthcare access for underserved populations.
Addressing the importance of voting rights, the first panel was composed of Dr. Martha Washington, a professor of history at Cornell University; Christian Flournoy, a sophomore at Cornell University; and Kenneth Clarke, the Director of the Tompkins County Office of Human Rights. When asked about the biggest barrier to voting, Dr. Washington and Clarke both cited complacency, noting that feelings of indifference shy people away from the polls. In contrast, first-time voter Flournoy expressed the excitement and empowerment that voting can provide. “I truly believe that my vote is a cast of my voice and putting in my vote […] is going to end up making an impact,” he told the audience.
A second panel centered around criminal justice and rehabilitation featured Ithaca Police Chief Thomas Kelly; Taili Mugambee, Director of the Office of Ultimate Reentry Opportunity (URO) at Cornell University; and Terrance King, a Pastor at the St. James AME Zion Church. During the panel, Mugambee addressed the healing that formerly incarcerated individuals need to succeed. “What does it actually take for people when they come home […] to truly reintegrate? How does healing happen and how can we facilitate that healing?” he asked the audience. King echoed this sentiment, calling attention to the role of loved ones during the process of rehabilitation. “There’s a saying that says it takes a village to raise a child,” King explained, “but did the village get the memo?” Chief Kelly added that the Ithaca Police Department, in conjunction with URO, is working to understand the intersection between trauma and crime prevention; “We’re just now starting to get to the tip of the iceberg.”
The final panel of the evening encouraged dialogue about healthcare access for underserved populations. The four panelists were Larry Roberts, a disability rights activist; Dr. Andrew Scheldorf (also known as drag queen Tilia Cordata), founder of the Ithaca Pride Alliance; Dr. Jada Hamilton, physician and Interim Chief of Clinical Operations and Services at Cornell University; and Dr. Deirdre Hay, a lawyer and President of the Women’s Bar Association of New York State. Panelists highlighted the importance of reproductive and healthcare rights for minorities, noting the effects of the Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. Dr. Hamilton expressed that especially for marginalized groups, the cost of and prolonged wait time for care are barriers to receiving it; Dr. Scheldorf noted that the “uncomfortability” of pursuing reproductive healthcare geared toward cisgender women can be a deterrent for transgender community members. Panelists also shared personal stories as they addressed the potential effects of tighter healthcare regulations. Roberts told the audience about his first experience with a wheelchair-accessible scale, calling it a small step in a “slow and incremental progress,” and Dr. Hay shared the story of her miscarriage while she was away on vacation. All four panelists agreed that healthcare and reproductive freedoms affect the entire community and urged the audience to continue advocating for themselves and others.
To conclude the evening, event planners led audience members in a rendition of “We Shall Overcome,” encouraging them to keep the song’s positive and resilient message in mind as the event came to a close.
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