Ashley Stone, Ph.D.
Senior Director, National Racial Equity Initiative
Since its start in 2020, the National Racial Equity Initiative for Social Justice (NREI), created by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), has been on a mission to advance equality and drive lasting change. Centering the interconnected relationships between a number of policy areas, NREI has created programming that brings together the public, policymakers, and community stakeholders nationwide to drive progress toward social justice. To mark its fifth anniversary, NREI convened in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 1 for a special gathering with Congressman Troy Carter.
New Orleans is known as a culturally rich and vibrant city, celebrated for its deep musical heritage, distinctive cuisine, and historic architecture. Beneath its beauty lies a complex history shaped by struggle. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, highlighting the ongoing efforts to address the social and structural inequities that the disaster laid bare, including barriers to voting, disproportionate damage in Black neighborhoods, and long-term impacts on residents’ mental health. This anniversary also offers a poignant moment to reflect on the city’s capacity for recovery and resilience. Beyond the tragedy, New Orleans is widely admired for its resilience and deep sense of community. That same spirit of resilience and community shaped the conversations that unfolded during this year’s NREI Summit, which focused on two deeply connected policy areas — criminal justice and education.
Schools serve as a critical entry point into opportunity, but for many students, schools are an entry point into the criminal justice system. CBCF’s Center for Policy Analysis & Research (CPAR) released a 2023 report “Decriminalizing School Misbehavior: Alternatives to School Referrals and Arrests,” which found that Black and other marginalized students are disproportionately subjected to exclusionary discipline and school-based arrests for behaviors that could be addressed within schools. These findings underscore how early criminalization in education feeds into the larger prison industrial complex—revealing that to truly address mass incarceration, we must begin by transforming the systems that shape young people’s earliest experiences of discipline and justice.
The Summit began with a powerful Fireside Chat between Congressman Troy Carter and CBCF President & CEO Nicole Austin-Hillery, exploring the realities of the prison workforce and the urgent need for reform rooted in human dignity and economic justice. Session 1, From Classroom to Cellblock: Unpacking the Pipeline to Prison Labor, took a deeper look at how school discipline practices and systemic inequities push Black youth from classrooms into incarceration — fueling a cycle of racialized labor exploitation. The conversation challenged participants to reimagine both education and justice through equitable, community-driven reform. Rounding out the day, Session 2, Voices of New Orleans: A Conversation on Local Issues, centered community perspectives through a participatory dialogue on the city’s most pressing challenges — from housing and safety to economic opportunity and resilience — highlighting the power of collective voice in shaping a more inclusive future. The Summit also featured interactive breakout sessions, including select interviews from the Visiting Room Project, offering a rare and humanizing opportunity to hear directly from incarcerated individuals about their experiences. The sessions amplified the voices of those too often silenced, and an unflinching examination of systems that demand change and a vision for how research, policy, and community can unite to drive it. As NREI turns five, this year’s Summit reminded us that progress is both a reflection and a responsibility — to challenge inequities, champion unheard voices, and continue shaping a future grounded in true justice.