CSI’s 2023 Annual Convening Recap: We United for Second Chances
Blog Post by Sheena Meade, CEO
^Photos Courtesy of Leslie Gamboni and CSI.
On June 8 & 9, 2023, over 200 advocates gathered in Oklahoma City (OKC) amid sunny blue skies and a backdrop of the unique 21c Museum Hotel. We came together with a shared vision and a clear goal: uniting for second chances and advancing Clean Slate legislation nationwide.
We hosted our convening in Oklahoma because, just last year, our partners’ hard work on the ground led to the passage of the state’s Clean Slate law, making it one of the first ten states in the country to adopt automatic record sealing for eligible records. Oklahoma’s Governor Stitt helped us kick off Day 1 of the convening, driving home the importance of bipartisan leadership for important legislative efforts like Clean Slate.
Sheena Meade, CSI CEO, thanks Oklahoma Governor Stitt for joining us at CSI’s 2023 Annual Convening to deliver opening session remarks.
Photo Courtesy of Leslie Gamboni.
During the convening, attendees had opportunities to participate in 18 different sessions, covering a wide range of topics that included:
Owning Your Story to Advocate for Policy Change: A Conversation with Leaders with Lived Experience;
Building a Strong Clean Slate Campaign;
Addressing Immigration Issues Connected to Clean Slate Policies;
Dissecting the Data: Taking A Look at Racial Equity, Gendered Impacts, and More
"Tough on Crime" Roundtable;
Making the Economic Case for Clean Slate Lessons Learned: Campaign Case Studies; and
A Closed Door Conversation on Navigating the Space for Directly Impacted People.
^ Scroll through for session highlights! Photos Courtesy of Leslie Gamboni and CSI.
Between sessions, our guests were invited to get creative, take a selfie break, and provide feedback on our brand new data dashboard (stay tuned for more on that coming later this year).
^ Scroll through for brain break highlights! Photos Courtesy of Leslie Gamboni and CSI.
At the end of Day 1, we hosted a celebratory dinner reception for all of our convening guests at Black Walnut, an award-winning restaurant in OKC. Powerful and resonating entertainment was provided by Jerica Wortham, a best-selling author and award-winning spoken word artist.
During the reception, our organization took the opportunity to recognize one of our own: Margarida Jorge (MJ), a life-long organizer who has been with CSI since the start, and has helped drive Clean Slate campaigns on both the state and federal levels. MJ’s approach to organizing is at the heart of our organization: building relationships across political parties, centering people with lived experience, and focusing on the actual impact of the legislation we’re helping to pass.
Margarida Jorge, CSI Senior Strategist & Advisor, accepts recognition award from Sheena Meade, CSI CEO, for her dedication to Clean Slate since the start of our organization.
Photo Courtesy of CSI.
One way that we lift up directly impacted people in our work is through our CSI Storyteller Series, and during the convening we created a space to capture several new stories to add to that collection. We will be premiering those soon — stay tuned for that.
^ A few Clean Slate Storytellers sit down for their interviews. Photos Courtesy of CSI.
One of our CSI Storytellers and a dedicated Clean Slate state organizer, Lukee Forbes, took time away from his hard work to help pass New York’s Clean Slate bill to join us at the convening. As Day 2 was coming to a close, you could find Lukee tuned in to the New York state assembly’s live vote on the bill (because an organizer’s work is never truly done).
It couldn’t be more fitting that, just hours after the CSI Annual Convening ended, our New York state partners’ hard work finally paid off: the Clean Slate New York bill was passed!
Sheena Meade, CSI CEO, with Luke Forbes, Clean Slate NY, during the convening — before the big news hit!
Photo Courtesy of CSI.
To say this year’s convening was incredible would be an understatement. Here at CSI, we are so grateful for all of our partners, board members, and vendors who helped make this event a success.
To everyone who joined us this year: thank you. We hope to see even more of you there next year! To stay up to date on convening announcements for 2024, sign up for our email list.