Event
Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series: Vanessa Rojas
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:
Time:
Duration:
Type of Event
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.
Vanessa Rojas is a powerful voice for prison and sentencing reform, grounded in lived experience and driven by purpose. A California native and mother of three, Vanessa served many county jail terms and four years in federal prison before being released under the First Step Act’s compassionate release provision. She now works for Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), the organization that played a significant role in her release. Vanessa is now pursuing a degree in law, public policy, and society, and has committed her life to building a world where no one is defined by their worst mistake.
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
Image Gallery
Troy Williams/Restorative Media
Image courtesy Vanessa Rojas