Fighting Time

Free Community Event Friday March 31

Amy Banks, MD, was 17 when her father was murdered while visiting NOLA for a conference– Isaac Knapper was 16 when he was wrongfully arrested and quickly convicted of the murder. They’ve come together to share their journey.

The story Amy and Isaac bring is accessible to a wide range of people who are just beginning to explore systemic issues with our justice system. Maureen Walker will be offering cultural context to bring us more deeply into Amy and Isaac’s story, and Luci Englert McCean is emceeing the evening.

Friday night’s event is free and open to the public. While an RSVP will help keep us in a calm and happy state, you are also welcome to show up at the event– at Bloomington City Hall. Doors open at 6, presentation starts promptly at 6:30 and ends at 8:00.

On April 12, 1979, Ronald F. Banks, University of Maine professor, was shot and killed outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sixteen-year-old Isaac Knapper was arrested, tried as an adult, and wrongfully convicted of the murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola. In 1992, Isaac’s conviction was overturned and in 2015 he met Dr. Bank’s daughter, Amy. It was an emotional meeting, and in the years since Isaac and Amy have maintained a strong friendship and healing connection and have worked to educate people about the impact that wrongful convictions can have on both the wrongfully convicted and the family of murdered victims. They’ve told their story in the book Fighting Time.

RCT is based on the idea that connection is the center of growth; that people grow through and toward relationships. Isolation is a root cause of human distress, and is aggravated by cultural barriers to connection including racism, socio-economic stratification and misogyny, among many other things.

Keynote Speaker Maureen Walker, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist, speaker, educator, and writer. Raised in the racial apartheid culture of 1950’s and 60’s Augusta, GA, Walker’s career spans from work in the Georgia public schools to 25 years as staff psychologist in the MBA Counseling Service at Harvard Business School to serving as the Director of the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute at Wellesley College where she contributed to the development of the Relational-Cultural model of psychological healing and development. She provides anti-racism training and consultation to government agencies, schools, and businesses as well as provides psychotherapy services.

“Dr. Walker helps people bridge cultural differences such as race, religion, gender and other markers of social status,” said Makice. “She is a motivator, change maker, and inspirational speaker. She challenges us to consider how we create belonging and community, and how it impacts our ability to progress. Every time I’ve heard her speak, I’ve left ready to dig deeper and make authentic connections. We are delighted that she is joining us once again for our annual relational summit.”

On Friday, beginning at 10 a.m., participants will get to see RCT in action during the day-long event: The ARC of Disruptive Empathy: Acceptance, Respect, Compassion. Prompters include Maureen Walker, Ph.D. and Amy Banks, M.D.

On Saturday at 9 am the conversation continues during Imagining RCT: Co-Creating Safety/Co-Creating Justice with the same prompters, Maureen Walker, Ph.D. and Amy Banks, M.D.

Caring Connections events are ticketed with some paid and some free options. Total costs of attendance will not exceed $100.00 per participant (not including Eventbrite fees) and can be as low as zero dollars. Please register for each event that you plan to attend.