The author, speaker and advocate for criminal justice reform is the keynote speaker for Texas Tech University’s sold-out Celebrate Diversity Banquet.
WHAT:
Cyntoia Brown-Long, author, speaker and advocate for criminal justice reform, is the keynote speaker
for Texas Tech University's annual Celebrate Diversity Banquet. Prior to the banquet, Brown-Long will be available to speak with media following
an event with students at the Texas Tech School of Law.
Media are invited to the student event and the sold-out banquet.
WHEN:
8 a.m. Wednesday (Nov. 6). The student event will begin at 8 a.m. and last 45 minutes
to an hour. Media availability will immediately follow.
WHERE:
Lanier Auditorium, Texas Tech University School of Law, 3311 18th St.
ABOUT CYNTOIA BROWN-LONG:
Born to an alcoholic, teenage mother who also was a victim of sex trafficking, Brown-Long
experienced a sense of isolation, low self-esteem and alienation. She became a victim
of sex trafficking and was arrested at age 16 for killing a man who had solicited
her for sex. After being tried as an adult, she was sentenced to life in prison, without
the chance for parole for 51 years.
Long-Brown's life took a dramatic turn when the prison education principal took her under her wing, introduced her to a spiritual path and encouraged her to build a positive life in prison while resisting negativity. Her journey included a documentary about her life, a profound encounter with God, an unlikely romance and, after 15 years, a commuted sentence by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. After receiving an unprecedented national and international outpouring of support from social media advocates, pastors and celebrities, she was released from the Tennessee Prison for Women on Aug. 7, 2019.
CONTACT:
Cory Powell
Director, Office of Institutional Diversity, Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
cory.powell@ttu.edu
(806) 834-0991
