Authors
Alan Chancellor
Making Justice Partner Staff
Program Leader, Neighborhood Intervention Program
Dane County Human Services
“You know it takes a child to raise a village. That is the time and space we live in today in Madison. Nobody's going to solve anything other than these kids wanting something different and making justice starting with themselves. Right? Opening this door, and saying ‘Come in.’ To me that is Making Justice.”
Albert Watson
Making Justice Facilitator and Partner Staff
Juvenile Court Worker
Dane County Juvenile Court Program
“I've learned some things because of Making Justice. Things that I had no clue about. I appreciate what you guys do. As much as the kids. I'm up in there, like wow. Like is that really how you made beets? Scoot over, man.”
Andre Johnson
Making Justice Partner Staff
Juvenile Justice Services Manager
Dane County Human Services
“Making Justice is an opportunity to expose the community to kids who have struggled, to see them differently. A subset of kids that they would have given less value to. And that's an outcome we may not have initially thought about, but maybe one of the most powerful, of really changing the community.”
Ben Stueck
Making Justice Partner Staff
Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher
Madison Metropolitan School District (Juvenile Detention Center)
“The purpose and value of Making Justice is that it gets the kids out of their boxes—that they or others build around them—that prevent them from growing. It allows them the opportunity to expand themselves and to start thinking that they do have ability and talents and value, so they can start moving forward.”
Britt Falbo
Making Justice Partner Staff
Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher
Madison Metropolitan School District (Shelter Home)
“There were times when I wouldn't really know what to expect of a session. And the teens would say “Why are we going? Who is this person?” And I'm like “I don't know. I think it's going to be really cool. We can work through this together.” It was a leveling ground where I became as vulnerable as the teens. I get excited about sessions where I have to be vulnerable, it makes me a better teacher.”
Carlos Gacharná
Making Justice Facilitator, Artist in Residence, and Co-Coordinator
Artist, Los Angeles
“I grew up in Madison, and got into a bunch of trouble, and then I got myself out of it. I got hired for one Making Justice workshop and then it turned into 36 workshops in one semester. And now I'm doin’ all these cool things, and I can relate to these kids on a very personal level. I've been doing restorative justice work for about five years now and at this point it feels like I've been like a big brother to an entire generation of kids coming out of Madison.”
Cheryl Bradley
Making Justice Partner Staff
Senior Social Worker
Neighborhood Intervention Program
Dane County Human Services
“Wow! I’m really excited for the Making Justice exhibit opening tomorrow, it sounds as though many of the teens have family members that are coming. Braniya is over the moon excited that her poem will be on display at the library! She is also excited to have her name listed publicly.”
Dana Johnson
Making Justice Peer Learner and Project Assistant
Youth Services Librarian
La Crosse Public Library, Wisconsin
“I really appreciate the making part. Not just making something, but something that will be treasured. I’m gonna collage things everywhere for the rest of my life!”
Edjron (Ed) Pearson
Making Justice Partner Staff
Juvenile Detention Superintendent
Dane County Juvenile Court Program
“When I came here to Dane County, the message I got was we are looking to improve, that we are philosophically different. The federal government is pushing towards not even having kids in cells, most of the day. So eventually everybody’s going to be forced to change the way you do things. So why not be the leader in that yourself?”
Emma Rothenfluh
Making Justice Project Assistant
Adult Services Librarian
St. Charles Public Library, Naperville, Illinois
“This is going to sound kind of sad, but since I left Madison, I miss Making Justice meetings. I miss working with a bunch of really invested people. It meant a lot to me to be a part of that, especially in the beginning and to help it get running. It's really exciting to hear that it's still carrying on and evolving into new forms.”
Faisal Abdu’Allah
Making Justice Facilitator and Co-Coordinator
Associate Professor, Art Department
University of Wisconsin-Madison
“I’m very passionate about working with young people. I'm here at the university because I'm walking on the shoulders of some incredible people that recognized my potential when I was very young, when others didn't believe in me. Working artistically is one way that young people can find their voice, can be advocates of social justice. I can give them the strength and the confidence to interpret what they see in a public space."
Gerardo (Lalo) Mancilla
Making Justice Facilitator and Advisor
Director of Education Administration and Leadership
Edgewood College, Madison
“My philosophy has always been about trying to get tools and technologies into classroom content. So the kids could play with it and learn from it, do what they like, be creative with the technologies. I work to create a level playing ground, where everyone can speak their truth. So whether it be hip hop, video, photography, video games, whatever you're going to put out there, that’s your truth.”
Heather Crowley
Making Justice Partner Staff
Social Work Supervisor
Neighborhood Intervention Program
Dane County Human Services
“We have been involved with Making Justice since the beginning. I was excited and hesitant, the exposure to higher education was important.”
Jesse Vieau
Making Justice Co-Founder, Facilitator, and Coordinator
Teen Services Librarian, Madison Public Library
“The experiential learning is absolutely key. My favorite comment of all time was after a book trailer workshop, when someone wrote “It was great to take a break from learning.” They’d just made a book marketing video, and their teacher’s like, “What the…?” But in their head, learning meant someone talking to them in a classroom, telling them stuff... Not actively making something and figuring out how to edit things. That was my childhood too. I hated learning. But really I loved it. I just didn’t like being talked to and expected to memorize and regurgitate.”
John Bauman
Making Justice Partner Staff
Juvenile Court Administrator
Dane County Juvenile Court Program
“It has been awesome to watch the kids create things that they have never attempted to do before. Even the ‘toughest’ kids in Detention have engaged in activities that surprised many who know them. The exposure to new experiences have really helped some youth learn more about themselves and develop confidence to try new things.”
Kay DeWaide
Making Justice Facilitator, Co-Coordinator and Advisor
Expressive Artist
Madison, Wisconsin
“Making justice began with this disproportionate minority confinement issue, but really it is larger than that. Everybody needs to make justice with your own self, with your family, helping each other. It’s a life-long project. We’re here on this earth to help ourselves become more.”
Marta-Laura Suska
Making Justice Facilitator and Co-Coordinator
Public Humanities Graduate Fellow
University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for the Humanities
“To me Making Justice represents a safe space where teens can be teens, to express themselves through artistic channels and use their imagination in productive ways. I teach Capoeira, a martial art developed by enslaved people in Brazil, in Juvenile Detention. It is inspiring to see teens’ genuine interest in the history and achievements of the African diaspora. Even better is when they jump, kick, do cart wheels, get out of their comfort zones. My favorite part is to see a smile appear on a teen's face when he/she is trying to be cool.”
Nancy Buenger
Making Justice Co-Founder/Coordinator and Advisor
Public Historian, Philadelphia
“I define Making Justice in terms of building community. Too often we put the onus on the kids, that they need to learn certain things, they have a gap. I have a learning gap. The university students I brought into the program had a learning gap. We need to realize the multiple ways that we contribute to injustice. All of us. To building relationships and work with our communities to address why too many kids are getting caught up in the justice system.”
Rob Dz (Ralph Franklin)
Making Justice Resident Artist and Co-Coordinator
Musician, Educator, and Activist
Madison, Wisconsin
“How can you talk about change and the achievement gap on a larger scale if you don’t have kids that are directly affected by this gap? You can say what a kid deserves and what we think. But it’s on us to meet them where they are, to get the answers we need so we can find that justice. Give these kids a chance to buy into ‘I can utilize this technology to make this kind of statement about homelessness.’ That’s making justice.”
Veronica Hereford
Making Justice Partner Staff
Program Leader
Neighborhood Intervention Program
Dane County Human Services
“I think that Making Justice acts as a bridge to build in that relationship. It gives a safe space for the teens to work on building those relationships. It’s important, however you frame it, to really point out the fact that the kids came together to give back something beautiful to the community…they did it specifically to give of themselves to the community.”