Fluvanna Review Staff
Several hundred people gathered Wednesday (Mar. 11) inside the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women for TEDxFluvanna in Troy, an event that brought incarcerated women together with community leaders, policymakers, and advocates for a day of storytelling and performances centered on incarceration and life after prison.
Organized by the nonprofit Proximity for Justice, the event offered rare access inside Virginia’s largest women’s prison.
Virginia Department of Corrections Director Joseph Walters opened the program, which featured a mix of speakers and performances from people both inside and outside the facility.
There were 40 speakers during the day-long event. The program included spoken-word pieces, musical performances on piano and violin, and personal reflections from incarcerated women about family, hope, and the challenges of rebuilding their lives after release.
Attendees included incarcerated residents, corrections staff, elected officials, nonprofit leaders, and visitors from across the country and abroad. Organizers said guests traveled from locations including Japan and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Speakers throughout the day included Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Platania, Charlottesville Mayor Juandiego Wade, Anne Precythe, former director of corrections for the state of Missouri, and Ana Zamora, executive director of The Just Trust, a national philanthropic fund that supports criminal justice reform.
TEDx events are independently organized programs inspired by the global TED conference series, featuring short talks that share new ideas and perspectives.
While many TEDx events take place at universities and community venues, organizers have increasingly brought the format into correctional facilities. A similar event was held last year at Green Rock Correctional Center in Pittsylvania County, where incarcerated speakers and outside guests also shared talks and performances with a live audience.
Proximity for Justice organizes TEDx events inside correctional facilities with the goal of bringing outside audiences into direct conversation with people living inside the prison system.
“When community leaders and the public listen directly to people living inside prisons, the public conversation changes,” said Delia Cohen, founder of Proximity for Justice.
Organizers say the events are intended to bring policymakers, community leaders, and advocates into closer contact with people directly affected by incarceration.
