Robert Rooks (organizer) explained

Robert Rooks is a strategist, movement leader, and chief executive officer of Reform Alliance.[1] [2]

Early life and education

Rooks grew up in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas.[3] After the crack epidemic took root in the neighborhood, his mother relocated their family to DeSoto, Texas.[4] During these years Rooks lost multiple friends to violence.[5] These early experiences led to his involvement in social justice work. Rooks received his undergraduate degree at Prairie View A&M before attending University of Connecticut for his Master of Social Work.[4]

Career

Rooks got his start in community organizing in Connecticut, where he knocked on doors and built coalitions to advocate for policy change.[4] There, he helped pass legislation to eliminate disparities in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine, making Connecticut the first state in the nation to do so.[6] [7] Rooks served as the first Criminal Justice Director of the NAACP,[8] where during his tenure the organization called for an end to the War on Drugs.[9] Rooks also served as the organizing director for Californians for Safety and Justice, and as the CEO for Alliance for Safety and Justice, which he co-founded in 2016 alongside Lenore Anderson.[10] [11] [12]

Rooks organized the ‘Yes on 47’ campaign to help pass 2014 California Proposition 47, a ballot initiative that reclassified certain low-level felonies as misdemeanors.[13] [14] In Illinois, Rooks helped pass the Neighborhood Safety Act, which expanded access to trauma recovery services for crime survivors and incentivized people in prison to participate in rehabilitation programs.[15] Rooks also served on the executive committee of 2018 Florida Amendment 4, which passed with 64% of the vote and restored voting rights to an estimated 1.4 million Florida residents.[16] [17]

In 2021, Rooks was appointed CEO of Reform Alliance, an organization working to reform the criminal justice system by changing probation and parole.[18] In his work with REFORM, he has focused on underemployment and economic disparities resulting from incarceration, probation, and parole.[19] He advocates for reform as a solution to labor shortages and a catalyst for economic growth.[20] He has spoken about a “second chance shortage” in the job market and advocated for second chance hiring as a solution.[21] While at REFORM, Rooks has organized large job fairs at NBA arenas that are open to people with records.[22] [23]

Awards and recognitions

Rooks has been a featured speaker at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute,[24] Columbia Business School,[25] Stanford University,[26] The Atlantic Festival,[27] the American Public Health Association,[28] and the New York State Business Council.[29] He has been recognized for his work with a Champion of Justice Award by the Bipartisan Justice Center.[30]

Personal life

Rooks has three sons.[31] He also has a nephew who has served time in prison and on probation, and Rooks has spoken about how this experience, combined with his childhood experiences in Texas, has informed his career in organizing for safer communities.[32]

Notes and References

  1. News: Duthiers . Vladimir . Green . Anne-Marie . "The system is broken": Reform Alliance CEO Robert Rooks takes on criminal justice . 27 September 2023 . CBS . 9 February 2021.
  2. News: Johnson . Octavia . Managing Success: Robert Rooks, REFORM Alliance pushes for probation, parole reform . 27 September 2023 . Houston Chronicle . 24 September 2023.
  3. News: Novogratz . Mike . Creating Solutions for Effective Social Justice Reform . 27 September 2023 . Next With Novo . 24 February 2022.
  4. News: Grant . Shawn . REFORM ALLIANCE CEO ROBERT ROOKS DETAILS NAVIGATING POLITICAL LANDSCAPES TO CHANGE THE PROBATION AND PAROLE SYSTEM . 27 September 2023 . The Source . 13 August 2021.
  5. News: Stillman . Sarah . Black Wounds Matter . 27 September 2023 . The New Yorker . 15 October 2015.
  6. News: sayegh . gabriel . The Movement Builders: Lorenzo Jones and Robert Rooks . 27 September 2023 . Huffington Post . 20 February 2015.
  7. News: Wang . Leah . sayegh . gabriel . Excessive, unjust, and expensive Fixing Connecticut's probation and parole problems . 27 September 2023 . Prison Policy Initiative . May 2023.
  8. News: Szalavitz . Maia . How the Drug War Dies . 27 September 2023 . The Nation . 21 March 2022.
  9. News: Condon . Stephanie . NAACP calls for end to "war on drugs" . 27 September 2023 . CBS . 27 July 2011.
  10. News: Christen Jones . Zoe . REFORM Alliance names Robert Rooks new CEO . 27 September 2023 . CBS . 9 February 2021.
  11. Web site: REFORM Alliance Bolsters Leadership Team With Plans to Extend Legislative Winning Streak . Cison PR Newswire . 27 September 2023.
  12. News: Thomas-Whitfield . Chandra . Newt Gingrich Among Conservatives Backing NAACP Prison Reform Report . 27 September 2023 . 27 April 2011 . Juvenile Justice Information Exchange.
  13. News: Abramsky . Sarah . How California voters got so smart on crime . 27 September 2023 . The Nation . 26 March 2015.
  14. News: Nagel . Terry . Proposition 47’s Successful Implementation Depends on New Alliances, Say Prison Reformers . 23 September 2023 . Stanford Law School . 19 November 2014.
  15. News: Walden . Tiffany . G Herbo, Illinois lawmakers celebrate wins in criminal justice reform at Alliance for Safety and Justice dinner . 27 September 2023 . The Tribe . 3 August 2019.
  16. News: Moorwood . Victoria . REFORM Alliance names Robert Rooks as new CEO . 27 September 2023 . Revolt . 9 February 2021.
  17. News: Rooks . Robert . Florida is just a start . 27 September 2023 . Slate . 10 December 2018.
  18. News: Christen Jones . Zoe . REFORM Alliance Names Robert Rooks as new CEO . 27 September 2023 . CBS . 9 February 2021.
  19. News: Rooks . Robert . To The Editor, Re: "Unemployment Gap Between Black and White New Yorkers Widening, Data Finds" . 27 September 2023 . The New York Times . 9 May 2023.
  20. News: Rooks . Robert . This surprising solution to the ‘Great Resignation’ is right in front of us . 27 September 2023 . CNN . 10 December 2021.
  21. News: Brancaccio . David . Dang . Jarrett . The challenge of finding work after incarceration . 27 September 2023 . Marketplace . 18 October 2022.
  22. News: Davick . Arnold . Roc Nation and REFORM Alliance host job fair at Madison Square Garden . 27 September 2023 . Spectrum News NY1 . 18 November 2021.
  23. News: Del Cerro . Ximena . Barclays Center to hosts job fair for New Yorkers coming out of criminal justice system . 27 September 2023 . Brooklyn Paper . 17 March 2023.
  24. News: Daniel . Mac . Experience is expertise . 12 October 2023 . Harvard Radcliffe Institute . 3 May 2023.
  25. News: How Criminal Justice Reform Can Revitalize Our Economy And Reduce Intergenerational Poverty . 12 October 2023 . Columbia Business School . YouTube . 7 July 2022.
  26. News: Nagel . Terry . Proposition 47’s Successful Implementation Depends on New Alliances, Say Prison Reformers . 12 October 2023 . Stanford Law School . 19 November 2014.
  27. News: A New Era of Public Safety: Rehabilitating a Broken System . 12 October 2023 . The Atlantic . YouTube . 6 October 2023.
  28. News: APHA Policy Action Institute Speakers . 12 October 2023 . American Public Health Association.
  29. News: 2023 New York State Workforce Innovation Awards Luncheon . 12 October 2023 . The New York State Business Council . 19 May 2023.
  30. News: Harrington . K . Panelists bios for Criminal Justice Reform Town Hall . 12 October 2023 . Livingstone College . 22 March 2022.
  31. News: Jackson . John . Three brothers, one success story . 12 October 2023 . Petaluma Argus Courier . 19 January 2023.
  32. News: Garcia . Nicole . REFORM Alliance’s fight against the ‘trapdoor’ of probation and parole . 12 October 2023 . Boston Public Radio . 20 July 2023.

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