Cohort 2023

People of Progression

Addressing Front-End System Inequities to Promote Change

Outagamie County, WI

High imprisonment rates continue to have a significant impact on the Outagamie County, Wisconsin, community, particularly people from historically marginalized backgrounds. In the county, Black people make up 1.7 percent of the total population but account for almost 20 percent of people involved in the local criminal legal system. It is critical to address these disparities and find solutions by giving communities and directly impacted people a voice. People of Progression is a Black-led organization that works to combat racial disparities and social issues that impact the Black community by hosting Know Your Rights trainings, collecting survey data and holding focus groups, and facilitating panel discussions.

With Catalyst Grant funding, People of Progression will partner with Jesus Smith, assistant professor of ethnic studies at Lawrence University, and Outagamie County to organize within communities deeply impacted by inequity and drive change. By leveraging lived experience and data, they will use community engagement and participatory action research, expand the use of technology and data transparency, and educate key stakeholders on universal and community-level impacts of the criminal legal system. This work will include culturally sensitive surveys, panel discussions, focus groups, administrative data, and strategic planning. Uplifting the voices and stories of directly impacted people will contribute to the project’s overall findings, with the hope of creating a more equitable and just system of law.