Innocents Behind Bars: Systemic Racism and Wrongful Convictions

November 28, 2023

Kara Sievewright

This large image (primarily in blues and orange) features text and graphics capturing a panel event “Innocents Behind Bars: Systemic Racism and Wrongful Convictions” from November 2023. There are prison bars and the flow of rivers (found in both Winnipeg and Chicago) and the beginning of vegetation. There are images of the speakers, including the Elder who opened the event and the facilitator. The and text on the image (some of which are quotes and others paraphrases) highlighting how the justice systems perpetuate injustice and systemic racism, and encourages the audience to challenge these systems of oppression.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Centre for Human Rights Research (University of Manitoba), and the Faculty of Law (University of Manitoba) co-organized and sponsored a public event on November 28, 2023 “Innocents Behind Bars: Systemic Racism and Wrongful Convictions.” There were over 125 people in attendance, as well as 25 people joining online.

The panel brought together leaders of the police torture justice/reparations movement in Chicago, into conversation with those working on demanding justice for Indigenous and racialized peoples wrongly imprisoned here in Canada.This event is inspired by the July 2023 release of Allan Woodhouse and Brian Anderson who were wrongfully imprisoned for a murder they did not commit and spent almost fifty years fighting to clear their names. Brian Anderson and members of his family were in attendance and Allan Woodhouse was able to join virtually.

Artist Kara Sievewright, Maker of Nets captured highlights of the event with a graphic recording.

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