On November 17, 2023, NPDL.ORG traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet and discuss our program with the men and women currently incarcerated within DC DOC’s Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF).  Breaking down some of the barriers which seek to divide our universal human community always feels energizing, but there was something truly special about entering this particular space with my fellow system-impacted NPDL colleagues and teammates, Brittany LaMarr and Brandon Brown.

Brittany, Brandon, and myself met our new DC partners: US Judge Zia Faruqui, Sarah Istel-Deputy General Counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Attorney Jackson Erpenbach, and DC DOC Program Coordinator Jason McCrady. Attorney Michael Gottlieb and the talented folks at Georgetown University Debate are also a part of this powerhouse group of legal professionals. Judge Faruqui, Sarah Istel, and Jackson Erpenbach also bring significant collegiate debate experience to their new roles as NPDL volunteer coaches. We’ll be collaboratively launching two new teams at CTF in the new year, with both a men’s and women’s team officially joining the league for our Spring Season in 2024!

Having the opportunity to jointly walk into 6 different housing units and meet people where they’re at with this group was moving. Brittany and Brandon are wonderful ambassadors of human change who both shared how they used educational opportunities to transcend the negative circumstances of incarceration to great inspirational effect. Brittany went from a Connecticut prison to UConn Law School and Brandon just completed his PhD from George Mason University! The resonance of their personal change testimonies definitely hit the mark, so we look forward to all of the human success stories still being written in every new space as we stay in community as peers who actively support each other. So, stay tuned for updates as these new teams develop and please consider donating to support our mission of building bridges, breaking stereotypes, and decarcerating minds: NPDL Donation Link.