Event

Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series: Shani Shay

Alcatraz Island

Fee:

Free. Attendance at the event is free. However, ferry tickets are required to visit Alcatraz Island. Visit www.cityexperiences.com/san-francisco/city-cruises/alcatraz/ to book tickets. Contact alca_outreach@nps.gov if you'd like to arrange for free tickets to Alcatraz for any groups that have been impacted by the criminal legal system.

Dates & Times

Date:

Saturday, June 14, 2025

Time:

2:00 PM

Duration:

1 hour

Type of Event

Talk

Speaking event starts at 2 PM in the New Industries Building.


Description

The Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series is a biweekly program on Alcatraz Island that lifts up and highlights the voices of people who have spent time inside of jails and prisons. The National Park Service believes in parks as platforms for dialogue, and Alcatraz Island, being one of the only NPS sites that interprets mass incarceration, works directly with people who have been affected in order to give them a platform to showcase their stories.

Shani Shay is the founder and director of UC Berkeley’s Incarceration to College program, which offers college readiness courses, workshops, tutoring and coaching to incarcerated youth to help them succeed in college. Shay teaches classes that help students work on life skills, college applications, and financial aid assistance. She has a B.A. in African-American Studies with a minor in Education from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

To purchase ferry tickets to the island, visit the Alcatraz City Cruises website. If you are a community leader working with the formerly incarcerated community and you would like to bring a group to an upcoming program in the series, please email us. If you have any accessibility needs such as ASL translation, please contact goga_accessibility@nps.gov at least 5 days in advance.


For more information on the Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series, or other community outreach initiatives (including ranger-led programs), please contact e-mail us.

 

2025 Speaker Series Dates:

  • May 17, 24
  • June 7, 14
  • July 12, 19
  • August 2, 9, 16
  • September 6, 13

Reservation or Registration: No

Seating is first-come-first-serve and may be limited. Your island ticket is sufficient for admission, reservations are not required.