ACLU-NC Presents: Justice & the Next 250

**America's 250th anniversary is a natural moment to ask what we've learned, and what we're going to do about it.** Crime & Punishment in America, a new documentary series directed by Lynn Novick and executive produced by Ken Burns and Sam Pollard, traces how the country has wrestled with crime, punishment, and the meaning of justice from the colonial era to today. We'll screen an exclusive 30-minute premiere that lays that history bare: two and a half centuries of trial, error, and hard-won lessons about what actually keeps communities safe. Then we bring it home. Local leaders and advocates who've spent years confronting what's broken about justice in North Carolina, including people who've lived through the system themselves, take the stage to talk about what comes next: the progress already working here, the wins worth building on, and the changes still within reach. This isn't a conversation about problems we can't solve. It's about the roadmap we already have, and what it will take to walk it together. Stay after to connect with the panelists and other attendees working toward the same future. **Please RSVP - seating is limited.** Support for this event comes from the Just Trust Co-sponsored by PBS North Carolina **About the film** Crime & Punishment in America is a four-part documentary series directed by Lynn Novick and executive produced by Ken Burns and Sam Pollard. It's the first film to trace the story of criminal justice in America from the colonial era to today — how, for more than two centuries, the country has wrestled with the meaning of crime, punishment, and justice. The full documentary series will be airing on PBS starting in November. **Discussion Panelists** - **Liz Barber** Policy & Advocacy Director, ACLU of North Carolina Liz leads the ACLU of NC's Policy & Advocacy team, which primarily works to advocate for civil rights at the General Assembly. This includes mitigating harm in legislation focused on criminal legal reform, LGBTQ+ rights, i