2026 Civil Rights Summit: We Have the Tools We Need: Full Schedule

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

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9:30am EDT

Hands Up, Don’t Shoot: Police Use of Force in Vermont and the Need for Community Oversight

Saturday September 26, 2026 9:30am - 10:45am EDT

Limited Capacity seats available

In encounters with police, which Vermonters have the right to safety? Which Vermonters are more likely to be seen as a threat? This panel will examine police use of force in our state. Panelists will review data on racial disparities in policing and recent cases of police use of force where race and mental health are concerned. We will examine alternative approaches to policing, explore tools to increase civilian oversight of police, and identify community leverage points for increased accountability.

Speakers

Lia Ernst

Legal director, ACLU of Vermont

Lia Ernst joined the ACLU of Vermont in 2015. She previously served as a judicial law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, a legal intern at the ACLU of Michigan, a legal fellow at the ACLU of Massachusetts... Read More →

Stephanie Seguino

Emerita Professor of Economics, University of Vermont

Racial disparities in policing
Civilian oversight of polic.

Tabitha Moore

Owner & Principal Consultant, Intentional Evolution, LLC

Hi! I'm Dr. Tabitha Moore, founder of Intentional Evolution, LLC. I help organizations translate values into action through strategic planning, leadership development, and systems change. I developed the Identity-Based Job Task Analysis (IBJTA™) Framework, a methodology that helps... Read More →

Saturday September 26, 2026 9:30am - 10:45am EDT
6. Zoom Room 1 Virtual

Virtual, Track 1: Civil Rights Themes

11:00am EDT

Tools to Rebuild, Hope for Repair: Restorative Practices in Vermont

LIMITED

Saturday September 26, 2026 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT

6. Zoom Room 1

Limited Capacity seats available

Most Vermonters have probably heard the phrase "restorative practices." But what does the phrase mean, and how can it help protect our rights? This panel discussion will bring together restorative practitioners from Vermont school, government, and community settings to discuss the role of building relationships, acknowledging harm, repairing communities, and how all are essential in order to forge a path toward healing. Panelists will discuss the array of current restorative programs in Vermont, which of these programs have worked well, and which may simply be putting a friendly face on punitive systems. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of what restorative justice and restorative practices mean, and where we can use them in our communities.

Speakers

Amanda Garcés

Miche Altman

Adult Restorative Services Coordinator, Chittenden County Community Justice Center

Théodore Soucy

GSA Coordinator, Outright Vermont

Roderick Owens

Associate Director, Building Fearless Futures

Saturday September 26, 2026 11:00am - 12:15pm EDT
6. Zoom Room 1 Virtual

Virtual, Track 2: Tools and Tactics for Community Power

1:30pm EDT

Statehouse Report: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

LIMITED

Saturday September 26, 2026 1:30pm - 2:45pm EDT

6. Zoom Room 1

Limited Capacity seats available

The 2025-2026 Legislative Biennium in Vermont wrapped up with several civil rights wins - bills passed to protect our rights, and the defeat of bills that would have endangered them. From tenants' rights, to suing federal agents and protecting sensitive locations from immigration agents, to how to defend our communities against the threat of AI data centers, this panel will explain what protections we've won, what we beat back, and what we should be prepared to fight for in the upcoming session.

Speakers

Jordan Souder

ACLU Vermont

Ben Edgerly Walsh

Climate & Energy Program Director, Vermont Public Interest Research Group

Since 2012, Ben has run VPIRG’s energy program, leading campaigns on issues from establishing Vermont’s groundbreaking renewable energy standard, to expanding our net metering program, to establishing nation-leading appliance efficiency standards and defending Vermont’s energy... Read More →

Brenda Siegel

Executive Director, End Homelessness Vermont

Brenda Siegel is the Executive Director of End Homelessness Vermont, where she leads a lived experience driven approach to ending homelessness in the state. She is also a consultant on human services systems and policy, specializing in homelessness and housing, drug policy, and disability... Read More →

Saturday September 26, 2026 1:30pm - 2:45pm EDT
6. Zoom Room 1 Virtual

Virtual, Track 1: Civil Rights Themes

3:00pm EDT

No Hate, No Fear, Immigrants Are Welcome Here

LIMITED

Saturday September 26, 2026 3:00pm - 4:15pm EDT

6. Zoom Room 1

Limited Capacity seats available

The last year has seen a groundswell of support for immigration justice legislation in Vermont, along with new and continued challenges to immigrants' civil rights. This panel will outline the victories we've seen in the last year, the failures we've observed, and where we need to be prepared to push in the upcoming legislative session.

Speakers

Migrant Justice [speaker tbd]

Migrant Justice

Hillary Rich

Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU of Vermont

Hillary Rich is a Senior Staff Attorney who joined the ACLU of Vermont as its first legal fellow in October 2021. Before law school, Hillary worked as a research coordinator in Rochester, New York, managing projects studying reproductive healthcare and abortion access. She received... Read More →

Erin Jacobsen

Advocacy Director and Senior Staff Attorney, Vermont Asylum Assistance Project

Saturday September 26, 2026 3:00pm - 4:15pm EDT
6. Zoom Room 1 Virtual

Virtual, Track 1: Civil Rights Themes

4:30pm EDT

Policy vs. Practice: Hazing, Harassment, Bullying, and the Narratives for Change Project

LIMITED

Saturday September 26, 2026 4:30pm - 5:45pm EDT

6. Zoom Room 1

Limited Capacity seats available

Vermont Narratives for Change is a coalition of organizations, youth and families that have been impacted by HHB, and advocates in Vermont who began in 2023 to organize a storytelling project to shed light on youth experiences with hazing, harassment, and bullying in our schools. This group has synthesized these stories and learnings in their new report, From Reaction to Prevention: Data, Narratives, and the Case for Harassment and Bullying Reform in Vermont Schools. The report, based on data collected from hundreds of Vermont students, reveals that bullying and harassment remain persistent realities. While the state has established policies to address these issues, students continue to report inconsistent responses, barriers to reporting, staff who aren’t prepared to handle situations of HHB, and environments where harm goes unaddressed until it has already escalated.
The findings suggest that Vermont's challenge is not simply the existence of bullying; it is the gap between policy and practice. Come learn about the demands and strategies for moving forward to take more consistent preventative approaches to the harm our students are facing, and how you can be part of closing the gap between policy and lessen the effect of HHB in Vermont schools.

Speakers