News and Events
- NEWS
Faculty book release: “A Wall Is Just A Wall: The Permeability of the Prison in 20th Century America” by Reiko Hillyer
Please join us in congratulating Associate Professor of History and Department Chair Reiko Hillyer on the upcoming publication of her latest book, A Wall is Just a Wall: The Permeability of the Prison in 20th Century America (Duke University Press, February 16, 2024). Influenced by her work teaching in the Inside-Out program, Hillyer traces the decline of practices that used to connect incarcerated people more regularly to the free world.
New Exhibition Focuses on Narratives of Piracy, Exploration, and Criminality
Fortune and Glory, a collaborative faculty-student history exhibition, is on display in Watzek Library from now until March 2024.
Aidan Bennett (BA, ’21) Peace Corps Volunteer in Cambodia
The History department is excited to share that Aidan Bennett (BA, ’21) is currently serving with the Peace Corps in Cambodia, and has shared with us a bit about his experience.
Paid Summer Research Enables Faculty-Student Collaboration
Over the summer, Lewis & Clark offers students paid, hands-on research experiences that rival those of graduate-level institutions.
Spring ’24 Prison Exchange Class Performance from the Inside-Out
Inside-Out Prison Exchange ClassTH238 Performance from the Inside/OutFridays 12:45-3:45 pm, Spring 2024Class held at the Columbia River Correctional InstitutionTaught by Associate Professor Rebecca LingafelterThis is a 200-level Theatre class held at Columbia River Correctional Institute exploring the techniques and applications of autobiography to performance. It is an integrated class of 15 undergraduates and 15 incarcerated students who will learn together as peers.Because of the special nature of this class and limited space,
Outside student applications are now closed for the Spring ’24 Inside-Out course.
Upcoming: Empires of the Dead with Christopher Heaney
This event is sponsored by the History, Ethnic Studies, Hispanic Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies and Sociology/Anthropology Departments
Exhibit Focuses on Oregon’s Conscientious Objectors
Two students curated Pacific Renaissance: The Legacy of Conscientious Objection During World War II. The exhibit is available to the public through November in Watzek Library.
The History of Incarceration Turned Inside-Out
In late April, 15 students from Lewis & Clark and 15 students from the Columbia River Correctional Institution performed an original theatre piece as the culmination of their Inside-Out history course, Crime and Punishment in the United States.
Family History as American History
Valerie White, L&C’s ombudsperson, shares her family’s history as Black abolitionists in an exhibit at Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia and in an upcoming book.
Cry of Freedom: New Inside-Out Prison Exchange Course
Prof. Molly Robinson will be teaching a new course this Fall at Columbia River Correctional Institution as part of the Lewis & Clark College Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. All interested students should apply!
Elliott Young Op/Ed on Involuntary Incarceration in Washington Post
Elliott Young has a new Op/Ed in The Washington Post entitled, “Locking up the mentally ill has a long history: The prospect of removing people from communities to be put in institutions has been a project of social control.”
Elliott Young is professor of history at Lewis & Clark College and the author of “Forever Prisoners: How the United States Made the World’s Largest Immigrant Detention System.”
Fulbright Winners to Circle the Globe as Researchers and Teachers
As recipients of prestigious Fulbright awards, four members of the L&C community will work abroad next year: Meredith Stinger BA ’19 (India), Mila Wolpert BA ’19 (France), Amelia Madarang BA ’22 (Taiwan), and Alex Webb BA ’22 (Colombia).
From Stumptown to Portlandia: Students Explore Portland’s History
Reiko Hillyer, associate professor of history, teaches a course about Portland’s multifaceted history, which encourages students to develop a deeper sense of place.
Festival of Scholars and Artists Celebrates Student Achievement
Lewis & Clark’s full-day celebration of student scholarship and creativity returned to its in-person format on April 8. - EVENTS
60th Anniversary Arthur L. Throckmorton Lecture: Kelly Lytle Hernández on “Million Dollar Hoods: Using Maps, Data, and Archives to End Mass Incarceration in Los Angeles”
Los Angeles County operates the largest jail system in the United States, which incarcerates more people than any other nation on Earth. At a cost of nearly $1 billion annually, more than 20,000 people are caged every night in L.A.’s county jails and city lockups. But not every neighborhood is equally impacted by L.A.’s massive jail system. In fact, L.A.’s nearly billion-dollar jail budget is largely committed to incarcerating many people from just a few neighborhoods. In some communities, more than one-million dollars is spent annually on incarceration. These are L.A.’s Million Dollar Hoods.
Led by Prof. Kelly Lytle Hernández, the Million Dollar Hoods (MDH) research team maps and monitors how much local authorities spend on locking up residents in L.A.’s Million Dollar Hoods. Led by Black and Brown women and driven by formerly-incarcerated persons as well as residents of Million Dollar Hoods, the MDH team also provides the only full and public account of the leading causes of arrest in Los Angeles, revealing that drug possession and DUIs are the top booking charges in L.A.’s Million Dollar Hoods. Collectively, this data counters the popular misunderstanding that incarceration advances public safety by removing violent, serious offenders from the streets. In fact, local authorities are investing millions in locking up the County’s most economically vulnerable, geographically isolated, and racially marginalized populations for drug and alcohol-related crimes. This talk provides an introduction to the Million Dollar Hoods project, method, and impact.
