News

Exhibit on histories of mass incarceration and immigrant detention comes to Hunter College Library
Created by students and justice-impacted people from communities across the country

States of Incarceration, a nationally traveling exhibit exploring the roots of mass incarceration in communities across the country, is on view at the Cooperman Library, 6th Floor, East Building of the main Hunter College Campus, until December 15th. A project of the Humanities Action Lab, an initiative newly arrived at Hunter, States of Incarceration is a collaboration of over 800 students and others deeply affected by incarceration in over 25 cities, and counting. They grew up in a United States that incarcerates more of its people, including immigrants, than any country in the world – and at any point in its history. In 2015, when the project began, they witnessed a new bipartisan consensus that the criminal justice system was broken, and an intense conflict over how to fix it.

Students and formerly incarcerated people came together to ask: How did this happen? What new questions does the past challenge us to ask about what is happening now? To find answers, they examined their own communities’ histories. Through courses at universities, local teams share stories, search archives, and visit correctional facilities. Each team created one piece of the exhibit -- and more teams have been adding their stories all along the way.

The exhibit includes portraits and oral histories from the Rikers Public Memory Project, which collects and makes visible the stories of people most impacted by Rikers Island, to mobilize action toward repairing its generational harms and interrupting the dehumanizing narratives about people harmed by Rikers.

To learn more about how to get involved in States of Incarceration and the Rikers Public Memory Project, the Hunter Community is invited to two "Co-Creation Cafes", to be held on September 4, 2:00 - 4:00 pm  and September 10, 2:30 - 3:45 pm.  Over food and drink, faculty and students can learn about funding and other support available for them to contribute their stories and work to this national conversation.  Both events will be in the Cooperman Library, E617.

CRAASH in Focus displayed at Cooperman Library. Photo: Karen Chan/Hunter College.

On view on the third floor of Cooperman Library through summer 2025, CRAASH in Focus: Revitalizing Asian American Studies explores the history of student activism surrounding the Asian American Studies Program (AASP) at Hunter College, from its early foundation in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the revitalization of it in the 2000s and 2010s by way of CRAASH, or the Coalition for the Revitalization of Asian American Studies at Hunter, and CRAASH’s ongoing influence and impact today. Drawing heavily from archival materials held by the Hunter College Libraries, this exhibition demonstrates how students have advocated for the AASP through concerted news and social media campaigns, petitions, protests, and events, as well as their solidarity efforts with other student organizations. Curated by Mee-Len Hom, Allison Ransom, and Lily Susman.

Special Thanks:

Former and current administrators of the Asian American Studies Program: Dr. Shirley Hune, Dr. Peter Kwong, Dr. Robert Ku, Jennifer Hayashida, Dr. Joong Oh, Vivian Louie, Dr. Charles Tien, and Dr. Daniel Woo.

Former and current CRAASH members, including archive donors Linda Luu and Kevin Park. 

Hunter College Libraries faculty and staff Ingrid Bonadie-Joseph, Wendy Jimenez, Dorian Onifer, and Sarah Ward.

The exhibition features reproduced photographs, flyers, ephemera, and media coverage from the CRAASH archival collection and the organization's current student leaders. Photos: Karen Chan/Hunter College.

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We currently have items on display at the Zabar Art Library (1608 Hunter North) connected to the recently opened "Full Moon, Walking" exhibition by artist Lauren Orchowski. "Full Moon, Walking" can be viewed at the Sweet Flypaper Gallery on the 11th Floor of Hunter North through April 10, 2025: https://huntercollegeart.org/2025/03/05/full-moon-walking/

On display at Zabar are models built by the artist, as well as a copy of her book and zines. There will be an artist talk on April 1, 2025 at 5:45PM, in room 1604 of Hunter North, sponsored by the Sainsbury Initiative.