About this Event
Overview
Breaking the Cycle: The Invisible Labor of Women
A Symposium by Look2Justice
Join Look2Justice as we bring together community voices to illuminate the invisible labor of women in the fight against mass incarceration honoring the resilience it takes to hold families together and the strength it takes to fight for a more just system.
Few things matter more to incarcerated people than keeping ties to the outside world, yet that vital work falls overwhelmingly to women and it comes at an extraordinary cost. Women bear the invisible burden of mass incarceration: driving hours for visits, spending hundreds on price-gouged calls and commissary, navigating legal bills, and holding families together through impossible circumstances. Eighty-six percent report significant mental and emotional health impacts, yet their labor remains unacknowledged.
And it isn't only the burden of supporting incarcerated loved ones. Women also shoulder the majority of the work in organizing movements to dismantle the carceral system, becoming the cornerstone of both support and the fight to end the harms these systems cause.
This symposium illuminates the hidden labor of women on every front of the carceral system. It honors the resilience of women who maintain the human bonds essential to healing and reentry, while affirming the dignity and humanity of all those touched by the system.
This year's symposium will feature:
Facilitation and Hosting: Marriam Oliver will guide us through the day with wisdom and care.
Opening Speaker: Chelsea Moore
Keynote Speakers:
- Cassandra Butler and Candace McGrue, in a joint presentation
- Erica Bently and April Ward: Radical Mothering—Caregiving and Resistance Across Pr*son Walls
- Felicity Rose (FWD.us), VP of Criminal Justice and Policy Research will speak about the harms and impacts of the carceral state upon families and women
Community Voices: Hear directly from women and families carrying the weight of a loved one's incarceration along with the support needed to deconstruct the carceral system while learning about the profound personal cost of this hidden labor.
- Facilitated by Michele Storms, with panelists Mary Poupart, Dolores Canales, Susie Bannon, and Brenda Mbaabu.
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Event Details
📅 Date: Saturday, November 14, 2026
🕐 Time: Program 12:30–4:30 PM · Dinner 4:30–6:00 PM
📍 Where: Des Moines Beach Park Event Center, 22030 Cliff Ave S, Des Moines, WA 98198
🎟️ Cost: Free and open to the public (space is limited; RSVP required)
🍽️ Refreshments and a full meal will be provided
Sponsors
This event is made possible through the generous support of ACLU Washington, Inatai Foundation, Haymarket Books, Seattle Foundation, Huy, The Way to Justice, Yarrow Institute, Social Justice Fund, Fwd.us, Disability Rights Washington, Stand for Children Washington, Living with Conviction, and PCVA Attorneys At Law.
Reserve your spot today to be part of this critical conversation.
Event venue & nearby stays
Des Moines Beach Park Event Center, 22030 Cliff Avenue South, Des Moines, United States
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