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Osborne staff proudly attended the annual New York City Pride March on Sunday, June 26, to stand for justice, equity, and inclusion of all LGBTQIA+ people and allies.
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This newsletter was authored by Osborne’s LGBTQIA workgroup.
On April 4, 2020, just weeks into the Covid-19 pandemic, Osborne’s LGBTQIA+ workgroup convened for the first time. The workgroup is comprised of staff from across the organization, both members of the community and allies, who have come together because of their interest in ensuring that LGBTQIA+ people who are justice-involved or those seeking reentry services after incarceration know that Osborne is a welcoming and inclusive space for people of all gender expressions and sexual identities.
We know that incarceration has far-reaching and often devastating effects on individuals, families, and their communities and that people face significant barriers as they rebuild their lives. For LGBTQIA+ people who are disproportionately arrested, incarcerated, and subjected to community supervision, reentry services are often not culturally competent or responsive to their specific needs. The survey was designed by Osborne’s LGBTQIA+ workgroup to measure staff opinion on Osborne’s strengths and areas of improvement and what staff needs to be able to support their LGBTQIA+ participants effectively. Survey responses - which benefited from the insights of staff who know from personal experience what it is to be LGBTQIA+ and in prison or jail - showed clear support for LGBTQIA+ centered events like our annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, our yearly participation in Pride, and more while also conveying an eagerness for training opportunities, and an extraordinary number of workshop suggestions.
We now shift to turning the survey results into real, concrete action. The desire of Osborne staff to address gaps in knowledge on how to best support LGBTQIA+ participants is a stand for our collective, equitable, and inclusive future during a time when we have seen a marked increase in state legislatures nationwide developing ever more hostile legislation toward even the youngest in the LGBTQIA+ community and incarcerated community members continue to suffer in New York’s own jails and prisons. Being a visible and vocal partner is now more important than ever. These are Osborne’s next steps toward building from a foundation of good work and moving closer to the ally, advocate, and transformative source of service and support that we want to become.
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Yesterday, Osborne’s Center for Justice Across Generations hosted, “The State of Older Adult Incarceration in New York.” The first of a series of three panels examining the challenges and the opportunities to enact solutions that attend to the needs of older people inside New York’s prisons and jails, support their reentry, and bring them home. You can view the first panel here.
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Last week Osborne held an open house to celebrate the opening of Marcus Garvey Supportive Housing. On Monday our first four residents moved in! Read about the opening here.
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On Thursday, June 23 the Legal Action Center held a virtual convening to celebrate the release of their report. Osborne’s Kate Vandeveld, Grace Detrevarah, and Andrea Goupalsingh were a part of the working group that helped to develop this report. You can read the report here.
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Join us in our work to build a justice system that promotes healing, safety, accountability, and real opportunities to thrive.
Archana Jayaram
President & CEO
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