About this Event
A Juneteenth Authors’ Talk with Prof. Angela A. Allen-Bell and Kim Jones presented by the City of Donaldsonville, Parish of Ascension, CF Industries
A free signed copy of the book will be given to the first 29 individuals who REGISTER and ATTEND the event. MUST BE PRESENT.
Partners:
Ascension Parish Library
Tamiko Francis Garrison
Speakers
Angela A. Allen-Bell is a respected local, national and international legal scholar and expert on the interplay between race and justice. It was her research that catapulted the movement to end the use of non-unanimous juries in Louisiana. And she is one of the founding members of the advocacy team that led this effort to reform Louisiana’s jury system through the adoption of legislation requiring unanimous juries incriminal trials in Louisiana state courts.
She has the distinction of having worked on several other historic advocacy campaigns, such as the 50th Commemoration of Students United and the 1972 Southern University student movement, the Angola 3 case, Soledad Brother John Clutchette’s case, Vincent Simmons’ case and the case of Robert Holbrook. She has also spent years engaging in narrative change work on behalf of the Black Panther Party and has become a formidable authority on the group’s history both in and outside of the United States.
Professor Bell is the director of the Louis A. Berry Institute for Civil Rights, Human Rights and Social Justiceat Southern University Law Center. As an activist scholar, she has made many media appearances and participated in many local, national and international collaborations to discuss her scholarship and advocacy work, including La Presse (France), Le Nouvel Observateur (France), MSNBC (News Nation with Tamron Hall), CBS News, NBC Nightly News, National Public Radio (All Things Considered) and LouisianaPublic Broadcasting. Prof. Bell has even been published in or quoted in a range of print media sources, suchas the Washington Post, Courthouse News Service, Capital B News, Law 360, Russia Today TV, the New Yorker, the Huffington Post and the Advocate. When Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued posthumous pardon to Homer Plessy, Professor Bell was selected to speak as the legal historian for the occasion.
Professor Bell is a member of two highly selective, invitation-only societies: the National Black Lawyers-Top 100 and the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, whose membership is limited to one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. She has been named: a “2026 Baton Rouge Community Leader” by the Baton Rouge Delta Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; a “Living Legend Award” Recipient; one of CIO Views Magazine’s “Top 10 Most Influential Leaders Making an Impact in Legal Industry”; a “Woman of Distinction” by the Girl Scouts Louisiana East; the Drum Newspaper’s “People for 2021” Honoree; a “Louisiana Leading Lady”; Recipient of the National Civil Rights Conference“Civil Rights and Social Justice Award”; and, following a national search, she was selected as a member of the first cohort of the Culture of Health Leadership Institute for Racial Healing.
Prof. Bell works on many fronts. She is an active member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority (Theta Theta Chapter).She is the founder of The Justice Center 985, an organization that aims to: (1) educate and empower people on recognizing and negotiating systems that harm; and, (2) center the perspectives and experiences of people of color who interface with these systems. Professor Bell is also an author. She recently released a three-book series that begins with “Under Indictment: Race, Juries and Justice in Louisiana.”
The Louisiana Senate has described her as a “beacon of hope” whose “indominable spirit” has “left an enduring imprint on the community.” The House of Representatives of the Legislature of Louisiana has commended her “for her achievements as a legal scholar” and has recognized and recorded “the tremendous pride and honor that she brings” to the state of Louisiana. Jeremiah 5:1, says “give me one who seeks justice.” Professor Bell has adopted this call as her personal edict. Her signature traits are her never-ceasing desire to fight injustice and her tireless commitment to dismantling racial hierarchies and systems thatharm.
AND
Kim M. Jones is a veteran educator, author, and consultant with over 30 years of experience in education. Her career includes roles as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, curriculum director, assistant principal, and principal, with over a decade of leadership in virtual education.
As the founder of BeWal Consulting, Kim partners with schools and organizations to provide professional development, literacy initiatives, and leadership coaching designed to improve student outcomes and strengthen instructional practices.
She is the author of 'Nouveaux Renaissance: Keeping Les Cenelles Alive,' a work that blends history, research, and apersonal narrative to inspire a renewed appreciation for culture and storytelling.
Kim is passionate about empowering educators, uplifting communities, and creating meaningful learning experiences for all.
Contact info:
FIND MORE INFO EMAIL US AT
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
300 Mississippi St, 300 Mississippi Street, Donaldsonville, United States
USD 0.00
