Janetta Johnson on Trans Resistance and Resilience: From Solitary to Re-Entry

Janetta Johnson, Executive Director of TGI Justice, speaks about transgender women in prison, solitary confinement, and re-entry. Janetta will share about her work at TGI Justice and her time of incarceration as a black trans woman housed in a men's prison and about her experience in solitary confinement. Areas of discussion will include the structural, medical, and social violences that Trans people of color often endure.

Janetta Louise Johnson is the Executive Director of TGI Justice Project. TGI Justice Project is a group of transgender people-inside and outside of prison-creating a united family in the struggle for survival and freedom. They work in collaboration with others to forge a culture of resistance and resilience to strengthen the community for the fight against imprisonment, police violence, racism, poverty, and societal pressures. Johnson is an Afro-American Transsexual from Tampa, Florida. She moved to San Francisco in 1997, where she has worked in various capacities at non-profits and social service agencies. She recently survived 3 years in federal prison and is committed to developing strategies and interventions to reduce the recidivism rate of the transgender community. Janetta's involvement with TGI Justice dates back to 2006. She served as Interim Organizing Director in November/December '08, planned vibrant grassroots fundraisers, and later put her skills as a community organizer, trainer, and activist to use inside as she fiercely and tirelessly advocated for her rights as a transgender person in jail and prison.

Join us for other events in our Trans in SF Series, a dynamite line-up of Trans leaders in November!

Our mission at CIIS Public Programs & Performances is to uplift and engage San Francisco Bay Area communities by offering a global showcase of performing arts and educational events. Our performances celebrate cultural diversity by presenting traditional and contemporary artists from around the world. Our lectures by leading scholars and authors provide a platform for exploring new perspectives about oneself and society. Our workshops and certificate programs, taught by leaders in their respective fields, encourage personal diversity, spiritual inquiry, and professional growth.