Please join us for a free screening of True Justice. The film chronicles Stevenson’s struggle to create fairness in the system and to show how racial injustice emerged, evolved, and continues to threaten the country, and it challenges viewers to join him in creating a new and brighter future. A special panel Q&A and group discussion will follow. This event is being hosted in partenrship with The Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence, Delaware Campaign for Smart Justice and ACLU Delaware. 

 Meet our Panelists

Stacie Burton

Stacie Burton, graduated from Wilmington University in 2015, with a Master of Science degree in Public Administration. Stacie has lived and worked in Sussex County Delaware her entire life, with nearly 10 years of public service with Sussex County Government. She presently works as the community liaison for Governor, John Carney.

Stacie is actively involved with the community and believes strongly in the importance of community engagement and philanthropy. She presently serves on the National Board for the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial representing the State of Delaware. Stacie is the president of the Sussex County Women’s Democratic Club and is an associate committee member of the 20th District Democratic Committee. She graciously serves on the State of Delaware’s Foster Grandparents advisory board and the Brian Allen Stevenson School of Excellence Board. Stacie has previously mentored school- aged children with Big Brothers Big Sisters and has worked on several political campaigns.

Stacie is highly motived and continues to increase her expertise, education and community involvement. She completed her second Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership in May, 2017. Stacie plans to eventually pursue the Doctorate of Business Administration.

Stacie works extremely hard and has a great passion and determination for making her community better, by serving the public, mentoring and being active on various boards and committees. Stacie strongly believes that greatness is contagious and is willing to lead and be an example of greatness.

Reverend Canon Lloyd Casson

Canon Lloyd Casson was born in Dover and raised in Wilmington, attended segregated Public Schools No. 5 and No.29, and graduated from historic Howard High School in 1952. After active duty in the US Army, he attended and graduated from the University of Delaware in 1961 and from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1964. He was ordained a Priest in 1965 and began his ministry as Associate Rector at St. Andrew’s Church in downtown Wilmington, then as Rector of his home parish since his youth, St. Matthew’s Church, located on Wilmington’s Eastside.

During the civil disorder and unrest in Wilmington, triggered by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Canon Casson joined other community leaders in efforts to end the unrest, incidences of police brutality and the nine-month long occupation by the National Guard. He also engaged the Mayor and other government, corporate and community leaders to take concrete steps to address racial disparities in areas of employment, housing, education and other critical issues; the underlying causes of the bitterness and frustration which had fueled the unrest.

These actions led directly to the development of a few significant community programs and strategies, such as Delaware Opportunities and Industrialization Center (OIC), a statewide job training and placement program in partnership with the State of Delaware, DuPont Co and other corporations. In addition to becoming the founding President of OIC, Canon Casson’s active church and community leadership in Wilmington included service on numerous agency boards and the President of the Board of Education of Wilmington Public Schools.

After leaving Wilmington in 1972 to serve at Trinity Parish, and subsequently to Washington National Cathedral, Canon Casson returned to Wilmington, his hometown, in 1997. Canon Casson returned to accept the challenge of guiding the consolidation of two historically segregated congregations into one; St. Andrew's-predominantly white, and St. Matthew’s--predominantly black. The two churches where his ministry began over 30 years before. Under his leadership, the new congregation, the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew (“SsAM”) is widely known as a beloved and open multicultural community of faith, worshipping and learning together and sharing their gifts of loving service and advocacy to the wider community. While Rector of SsAM, Canon Casson was a member of SURJ (Stand Up for What is Right and Just), which advocated for the elimination of mandatory minimum drug sentencing.

Kerri Evelyn Harris

In 2018, veteran, activist, community advocate, and organizer Kerri Evelyn Harris transformed and invigorated the race for the United States Senate in the state of Delaware.

By standin g unapologetically for criminal justice reform -- emphasizing restorative justice and ending mass incarceration, while also providing economic opportunities for returning citizens; Harris demonstrated a keen understanding of the current crisis of mass incarceration, recidivism, and the disproportionate ways institutionalized racism and economic injustice penalize low-income people and people of color.

Kerri Evelyn Harris proposed raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and indexing it to inflation. By insisting on increasing wages for the lowest-paid, Harris exposes the lie of simply providing jobs to combat poverty, forcing the recognition that stagnant wages are actually a form of oppression.

In addition, Harris defended educational access and environmental safeguards. All while fighting against the Bank Lobbyist Bill which weakened Dodd-Frank and has made it easier for communities to experience red-lining and predatory lending.

   

Javonne Rich

Javonne is ACLU of Delaware’s policy advocate. Javonne has an extensive background in providing advocacy for communities impacted by a myriad of social challenges including criminal justice involvement, child abuse, violence, and trauma. Additionally, she is passionate about empowering people to create the future that they would like to see through voting and political activism. In addition to policy work, Javonne provides mental health counseling to victims of crime received services at the Delaware Center for Justice. She currently serves as a board member of Delaware Alliance Against Sexual Violence. Javonne earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice/Sociology and Psychology, and a Master’s in Social Work. 

Meet our Moderator

Alonna Berry

Alonna Berry is the Founder and Chairwoman of The Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence. The Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence is an emerging charter school in Sussex County, Delaware launching as a service-learning high school in the Fall of 2021. Alonna is a lifelong educator with a deep commitment to Delaware. Throughout her career Alonna has worked in an array of education spaces working in traditional district schools, at the Delaware Department of Education and in education nonprofit. In her most recent role she supported leadership development, classroom training, and coaching of teachers across the state of Delaware. In 2017, Alonna launched an educator leadership program, called Engage Delaware. This year-long leadership development program focuses on building capacity through collective leadership for educators across the state; Engage Delaware innovates on programming for students and families by building mentoring programs, supporting teacher leader effectiveness and providing social-emotional supports for students with trauma across the state of Delaware. Alonna began her career as a classroom teacher in education through Teach For America. In 2013, she was awarded the Sue Lehmann Award for Excellence in Teaching. Alonna holds a post-graduate certificate from the University of Pennsylvania in virtual online teaching and learning, a graduate degree in Management and Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University and an undergraduate degree Writing and Rhetoric from Syracuse University. As a native Delawarean, she is devoted to Delaware serving through non-profit leadership and currently serves as an advisor for the Youth Philanthropy Board of Sussex County, membership chair of Next Generation South, and as a board member of The Delaware Center for Justice, The Milton Historical Society and Delaware Guidance Services. 

 

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