IMAN Attends the 2008 Community Organizing Awards Reception

IMAN organizers and leaders were among key organizations from the Developing Justice Coalition who were in attendance at the 2008 Community Organizing Awards reception hosted at the School of the Art Institute on Tuesday, May 28, 2008.

The 2008 Community Organizing Award was given to the Developing Justice Coalition (DJC) by the Chicago Community Trust Fund, Woods Fund, MacArthur Foundation, and the Wiebolt Foundation. The coalition received the award for demonstrating excellence in community organizing and its successful strategy to achieve policy change.

IMAN, as a steering committee head of DJC, worked to enact The SMART Act-- a bill that allows judges to divert low-level, non-violent drug offenders into county "drug schools." Drug schools have a 15% recidivism rate as opposed to the 55% percent that return to prison. In May 2007, this critical piece of legislation passed unanimously through the Illinois State Senate

DJC announced that the $50,000 grant will be used to continue mobilizing community members to organize around criminal justice. The coalition will works towards establishing and advocating for diversion programs, effective alternatives to incarceration and reentry assistance for low level drug offenders.