Photo Gallery
Mass Story Lab break out group.
ASU student participating in a Mass Story Lab activity.
Mark Dow, author of American Gulag, speaking to the audience about his teaching experience at the Krome detention center.
Story agents speaking about immigrant detention during Mass Story Lab.
Opening night of the States of Incarceration exhibit.
Piper Anderson facilitating the Mass Story Lab.
Community member performing during the Aliento & States of Incarceration Open Mic Night.
A conversation with Julian Kunnie, author of The Cost of Globalization: Dangers to the Earth and Its People
Community member reading her poem during the Aliento & States of Incarceration Open Mic Night.
How Close Are You to Detention?
Public Feedback on States of Incarceration in Arizona
Past Events
Friday, Sept. 7 — 7 to 9 p.m. | Exhibit Launch & Documentary Screening
Produced by historian Dr. Judith Perera, the film “1994” reveals the history of noncitizen detention in the United States with a focus on the development of immigrant detention in Arizona.
A Documentary screening of "1994" was held from 7 to 7:50 p.m. at Burton Barr Central Library (first floor, Pulliam Auditorium) with film Q&A from 7:50 to 8:10 p.m. Reception followed from 8:10 to 9 p.m. in the second-floor exhibit space.
Saturday, Sept. 22 — 1 to 4 p.m. | Cuentos de Fortaleza/Stories of Strength: Detention in the Southwest
The purpose of this special storytelling event was to amplify the voices of people impacted by immigrant detention in Arizona and beyond. To learn more visit MassStoryLab.com. It was located at Burton Barr Central Library, first floor, Pulliam Auditorium.
Tuesday, Oct. 2 — 5 to 6:30 p.m. | "Who Cares About Immigrant Detention? Ignorance, Brutality, and Reasons for Optimism"
The latest assault on immigrants and non-citizens will destroy many lives before it is finished. But these attacks will be defeated for precisely the same reason that they are now energized: America has evolved. A lecture and conversation was held with Mark Dow, author of "American Gulag: Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons" (California, 2004).
Dow’s awareness of immigrant detention began in 1990 when he started teaching English at Miami's Krome Detention Center and, soon after, went to work for the Haitian Refugee Center. Over the next decade, he visited jails and detention centers around the country and interviewed detainees, immigration officers, and prison wardens. Most media were paying no attention to immigration prisons.
In this talk, Dow reflected on the most significant surprises he encountered in writing "American Gulag": that the system was even more brutal than many on the outside imagined, and that correctional officers were often the harshest critics of that system. He also discussed the accidents that led to writing the book in the first place as well as some of the mistakes made along the way — and the tensions we face today between optimism and realism. This event was held on the ASU Tempe campus at Pima Auditorium, Memorial Union.
Friday, Oct. 5 — 7 to 9 p.m. | Open Mic Night with Aliento: “Confinement + Liberation: Finding Freedom in Spaces of Incarceration”
Aliento First Friday open mic is a welcoming space for people to be whole, feel safe and be in community. Community members were welcome to listen and/or share stories, songs, poems, and dances that connect, unite and make people feel alive in their community. For more information, visit alientoaz.org. The event was located at Burton Barr Central Library, second-floor exhibit space.
Saturday, Oct. 13 — 2 to 4 p.m. | Discussion: Is Incarceration the Best Approach to Address Criminal Behavior?
Private, for-profit prisons in Arizona and the country are a lucrative industry, viewed by some as contributing to the rise in incarceration. What economic, political and social factors play a role in today’s mass incarceration? This discussion was made possible by Dr. Julian Kunnie of the University of Arizona, who shared the impact of mass incarceration. The event was located at Burton Barr Central Library, first floor, Pulliam Auditorium.