Speaking Engagements

 Andrea James has worked within the criminal justice system for more than 25 years as a youth worker to a former criminal defense attorney. She dedicated her time and resources to providing zealous representation to families within her community of Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Speaking Topics

* Increase in incarceration of women in the U.S. and the impact on children and communities
* Shift from incarceration to community wellness alternatives

Speaking Fee Range: fees vary from engagement to engagement

Please note that fees are quoted as “fee plus expenses,” the quoted fee covers the scheduled engagement, and expenses such as air travel, lodging, incidentals, rental car etc.  are additional. Upon  a written agreement, expenses may be either incorporated in one overall fee or itemized separately.

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Booking and Inquiries handled by: Leira Public Relations

More on Andrea James:

In 2009 Andrea was sentenced to serve a 24-month federal prison sentence. Even after a lifetime of work seeking justice on behalf of disenfranchised people, she was stunned at what she encountered upon entering the federal prison system as an incarcerated person.

“During my incarceration I was deeply affected by the great number of women who are in prison. Most of these women are serving very long mandatory minimum or guideline sentences for minor participation in drug possession or sales. Most of them are mothers. Their sentences are unreasonably long, the average being ten years. They have been in prison long after what should be considered fair sentences. They are provided limited educational opportunities. The women have managed to hold it together while psychologically and physically enduring such long sentences. They remain positive and hopeful a midst a torrent of regret, heartache, remorse, alienation, loneliness and a host of other problems mostly related to being warehoused in prison while their children struggle to survive.” –Andrea C. James

These are the women and children who motivated Andrea to establish Families for Justice as Healing (FFJAH), a criminal justice reform organization advocating for community wellness initiatives to replace the war on drugs and incarceration. FFJAH speaks from the perspective of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children. The war on drugs and the emphasis on punishment have been the leading factors behind mass incarceration, the separation of mothers from children and the irreversible disenfranchisement of families and Andrea has committed herself to fulfilling the promise she made to the women who remain in prison, to speak their truth, advocate for an end to the war on drugs and to support a shift Andrea is the author of Upper Bunkies Unite: And Other Thoughts On The Politics of Mass Incarceration. She is also the author of A Letter To My Children From A Mad, Black, Incarcerated Mother and a children’s book, My Grandparents Are Polar Bears. In her free time, Andrea continues developing her education project, Career Roadmap for Girls www.careerroadmapforgirls.com. Andrea lives in Roxbury, MA with her husband and children.

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