Remembering Keeley: A Sister's Fight for Justice

10/08/24 • 54 min

Welcome to the first episode of Metropolis Rising. We start our first episode with a conversation with Maya Schenwar. Maya is the driving force behind the social justice news website TruthOut, serving as its editor-in-chief.

In this episode, Maya opens up about her sister Keeley, who sadly passed away at the age of 29. She shares Keeley's struggles with drug addiction, her experiences with the prison system from the age of 14, and the incredible strength Keeley showed in the face of adversity, including giving birth to her first child while incarcerated.

Maya is no stranger to the world of prison reform. As an activist journalist, she's penned numerous essays and books on the topic, including her latest, "Prison By Any Other Name." Please listen to her unique insights and the inspiring legacy of Keeley's resistance against a harsh system.

Previous Episode

Lilian Jimenez: The Inspired Logic of a Rebel

Lilian Jimenez is an attorney who advocates for greater justice and equity in public policy. She has extensive experience in direct services, community organizing, and policy advocacy, with a special focus on promoting the rights of immigrant populations and communities of color. Lili works to ensure that government, as well as non-profit programs, are aligned with the needs of the communities that they are supposed to serve. She has dedicated herself to the issues of immigration, health justice, workers’ rights, and criminal justice reform.
Lili has held leadership positions with: Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); the Fair Labor Standards Division of the Illinois Department of Labor; the Illinois Office of Immigrant & Refugee Services; the State of Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); she was also a Civil Rights Investigator in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Lilian Jimenez is also currently running as a candidate to represent the State of Illinois’ 4th District in the State House of Representatives.
We also want to apologize in advance for some mild background noise in the audio during the latter part of the interview.
Host: Nicholas De Genova
Producer & Editor: Magdalena Rodriguez