Unmasked: Dehumanization of the Incarcerated During the Pandemic

Join the conversation surrounding injustices of incarcerated individuals during this unparalleled time.

In the midst of this pandemic we have seen many systemic injustices bubble to the surface and become impossible to ignore. One of the most noted inequities is the treatment of incarcerated individuals, especially in times of national and global crisis. With issues such as overcrowding, restricted access to empowering information, and lack of standard sanitation, how have incarcerated individuals been devalued, and thus have become more vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus?

During this crucial conversation, we discuss how existing problems in the criminal justice system lend themselves to the alarming rate of COVID-19 infections in prisons and jails. We hear from some of Charlotte's staunchest criminal justice reform advocates to get to the roots of the current issue, as well as what is being done now on the front lines to transform a corrupt system. Finally, we provide resources that will qualify our audience to activate their voice against this issue both in and out of the context of a pandemic.

The evening's conversation will be facilitated by Edu2Engage founder Patrice Funderburg, joined by Mecklenburg County Sheriff Gary McFadden, Project BOLT founder Gemini Boyd, and We Got Us Now Actionist Ashley Jackson.

The discussion will be streamed via the Gantt Center's YouTube live channel at 7 pm on Tuesday, May 19.

How To Participate

Viewing this program is free and open to the public. To chat during the program and contribute your perspective, you will need a YouTube account with a Gmail email address prior to the program. If you do not have a YouTube account, click here for a step-by-step tutorial on creating a YouTube account.

Patrice Funderburg, a native of Buffalo, NY, is the Executive Director at The Center For Community Transitions (CCT), a Charlotte-based nonprofit that works with individuals and families impacted by incarceration since 1974. Patrice served as the board cochair for 2 years prior to becoming Executive Director in January, 2020. Prior to CCT, in 2016, Patrice formed Educate To Engage LLC, an NC HUB certified WMBE. Between 2016 and 2019, Edu2Engage led a free popular education-based workshop grounded in the scholarship of Michelle Alexander’s best selling book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. From 2006 to 2016, Patrice held various positions at Belk and at Lowe’s Companies, Inc., and she was the Deputy Director for business inclusion and procurement processes for the 2012 DNC Host Committee.

Patrice serves on the board of local nonprofit Beauty After the Bars, and she is an advocate member of The National Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls. She is also a member of the NC Second Chance Alliance, and she has served on Governor Cooper’s State Reentry Council Collaborative since 2018. Patrice teaches classes and mentors women and girls at the Mecklenburg County Sheriff Office (MCSO). She was an at-large member of the Leading On Opportunity Council, and she is a graduate of Leadership Charlotte Class 35.

Patrice attended North Carolina Central University where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She later received a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management from The State University of New York at Buffalo and an MS in Organizational Communication and Development from Canisius College before moving to Charlotte in 2006 with her husband and two daughters. Committed to practicing self care as a revolutionary act, Patrice enjoys pausing, playing, and moving on purpose.