Cárdenas Invites Juvenile Justice Advocate To SOTU
(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-San Fernando Valley, Calif.) will welcome a special guest to President Obama’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday evening, who will help highlight juvenile justice reform efforts that Cárdenas hopes the President will address.
Calvin King is a Second Grade teacher at Christina Seix Academy (CSA) in Trenton, NJ. One of five children raised by a single mom in poverty, Calvin was, as a child, charged as an adult for a crime he didn’t commit. After leaving Sylmar juvenile hall in the San Fernando Valley, Calvin graduated from Eagle Rock High School in Estes Park, Colo., eventually graduating from Morehouse College with a degree in political science. Calvin then returned to Estes Park to teach, mentor and help support young people at the school.
“Calvin King is an amazing example of the potential lives we throw away in our broken juvenile justice system,” said Cárdenas. “Calvin rebounded from his time involved in the system, to give back to the community, in a way that has positively affected hundreds of lives. Unfortunately, too many kids with this potential are locked in cages and warehoused away from society. Children who make serious mistakes should be given the opportunity to get right with the law and grow into productive adults. We have the opportunity to help shape a hopeful future for them, but instead they enter a cycle of incarceration and neglect that results in their lives never getting started, and their potential being destroyed. I hope President Obama will address this national tragedy Tuesday night, and I hope men and women like Calvin will continue our discussion toward substantive, critical changes.”
Along with his work in schools, Calvin King is a recipient of the Presidential Service Award for 2000 hours of community service. He will be available for interviews, along with Cárdenas, on Tuesday before and after the State of the Union Address.