“I love these monologues because they shift the narrative that has enabled systems of oppression in the U.S.” - Bryan Stevenson, ED of the Equal Justice Initiative
“JustUs fills me with hope and energy for the future.” - Boulder County DA, Michael Dougherty
In collaboration with the 73rd Conference on World Affairs at CU Boulder, Motus Theater presents JustUs: Stories from the Frontlines of the Criminal Justice System. In this performance, formerly incarcerated monologists invite you, via Zoom, to listen to their autobiographical stories artfully depicting their experiences within the criminal legal system.
Special guest Dean Williams, the executive director of Colorado’s Department of Corrections, will express moral courage and civic hospitality as he reads aloud the story of a formerly incarcerated leader and reflects on the impact of holding the weight of his story. Two additional Motus JustUs Monologists will share their own story and each monologue will be followed by a musical response from the Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Ernie Watts.
The JustUs project was developed by Motus Theater in 2019 and premiered as a keynote at the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice Conference in front of 1,600 stakeholders. Since then, the JustUs monologues have been featured in several national and global conferences and have been read and embraced by religious, social justice, civic and law enforcement leaders across the state. The powerful monologues explore themes such as racial profiling, inequality in the bond/bail system, human rights abuses in prisons, criminalizing substance abusers and the systemic racism and poverty that pushes people into illicit economies.
Autobiographical monologues by Motus Monologists Juaquin Mobley, Dereck Bell and Daniel Guillory, written in collaboration with Motus Theater Artistic Director, Kirsten Wilson. Performance presented by Motus Theater - creators of UndocuAmerica, JustUs, Women of Resolution, Rocks Karma Arrows, and the Shoebox Stories Podcast.
Sponsored by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Conference on World Affairs.