NAPD Racial Justice Conference 2026: Full Schedule

This is the current draft of the schedule for the Racial Justice Conference 2026. Please come back to see it as it develops.

Disclaimer: All speakers are speaking from their own expertise and experiences. Their personal opinions and perspectives do not represent the organization(s) they work for and/or with.

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10:00am CST

Welcome

Monday November 2, 2026 10:00am - 10:15pm CST

Plenary

10:15am CST

Plenary

Monday November 2, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CST

Speakers

Yusef Salaam

In 1989, at just fifteen years young, Dr. Yusef Salaam was tried and convicted in the “Central Park Jogger” case along with four other Black and Latinx young men. The Exonerated Five spent between seven to 13 years behind bars for crimes they did not commit, until their sentences... Read More →

Monday November 2, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CST

Plenary

11:30am CST

Race and Capital Defense

Monday November 2, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CST

Speakers

Robin Maher

Executive Director, Death Penalty Information Center

Robin Maher is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in the death penalty field, with extensive experience in direct representation, strategic training, and systemic reform. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with legislators, prosecutors, judges, defenders... Read More →

Monday November 2, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CST

Plenary

3:15pm CST

Confronting the Racist Legacy of American Child Welfare System

Monday November 2, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm CST

Speakers

Alan Dettlaff

Co-Founder, upEND Movement

Alan Dettlaff is a professor of social work and co-founder of the upEND Movement, a collaborative effort to abolish the family policing system and build alternatives centered on healing and liberation. He began his career as a social worker inside the family policing system, where... Read More →

Monday November 2, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm CST

Plenary

4:30pm CST

Wrongful Conviction & Exoneration

Monday November 2, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm CST

Speakers

Anthony Graves

Founder, Anthony Graves Foundation

Anthony Graves was wrongfully convicted of multiple homicides in 1992 and spent nearly two decades behind bars, including twelve years on Texas’s death row. While still in prison, he cofounded Join Hands for Justice, a France-based activist group that led global efforts to prove... Read More →

Monday November 2, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm CST

Plenary

5:30pm CST

Wrap Up

Monday November 2, 2026 5:30pm - 5:40pm CST

Plenary

9:30am CST

Day 2 Welcome

Tuesday November 3, 2026 9:30am - 9:45am CST

Plenary

9:45am CST

Recidivism Reduction & Transforming Incarceration Spaces

Tuesday November 3, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CST

Speakers

Kerwin Pittman

Founder and Executive Director, Recidivism Reduction Educational Programs Services (RREPS)

Kerwin Pittman was born in Landstuhl Germany but raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is a National Social Justice Activist and Criminal Justice Reform Policy Expert. Kerwin advocates primarily in the social justice field, particularly criminal justice reform, in which he is a voice... Read More →

Tuesday November 3, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am CST

Plenary

11:00am CST

ICE, Immigration, & Civil Rights

Tuesday November 3, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm CST

Plenary

2:45pm CST

Storytelling in Defense & Advocacy

Tuesday November 3, 2026 2:45pm - 3:45pm CST

Speakers

Dumaka Shabbazz

Federal Public Defender, Middle District of Tennessee

Dumaka Shabazz is the Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Tennessee. With the mission to provide the highest level of defense for the indigent accused, he trains attorneys on storytelling, trauma informed advocacy, and client centered representation. An experienced... Read More →

Tuesday November 3, 2026 2:45pm - 3:45pm CST

Plenary

3:45pm CST

Wrap Up & Round Table Introductions

Tuesday November 3, 2026 3:45pm - 4:00pm CST

Plenary

5:15pm CST

Roots of Resilience: Launching Your Racial Healing Journey for Client Impact

Wednesday November 4, 2026 5:15pm - 6:45pm CST

Plenary

11:00am CST

Closing Plenary

Thursday November 5, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm CST

Plenary

NAPD Racial Justice Conference 2026

10:00am CST

10:15am CST

Yusef Salaam

11:30am CST

Robin Maher

3:15pm CST

Alan Dettlaff

4:30pm CST

Anthony Graves

5:30pm CST

9:30am CST

9:45am CST

Kerwin Pittman

11:00am CST

2:45pm CST

Dumaka Shabbazz

3:45pm CST

5:15pm CST

11:00am CST

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