Jamie Argento

Background

About Jamie Argento

I am a student of social and racial justice and a long-time advocate for oppressed and marginalized persons in our communities. As an attorney for more than a quarter of a century, I have dedicated my career to representing children and adults from poor communities and communities of color who would not otherwise have access to attorneys and legal assistance. As an education attorney and public defender in Washington, D.C, I began my career entrenched in the battle against the school-to-prison pipeline. I advocated for poor families who were seeking to enforce their children’s rights to a free and appropriate public education. In addition, I assisted countless children and young adults in school disciplinary proceedings. For nearly two decades, I have focused on prisoners’ rights and reentry, seeking to enforce the rights of children and adults following arrest, sentencing, and incarceration. I am committed to decarceration and restoring the rights of persons involved in the juvenile and criminal legal systems – or at the very least, to minimizing the collateral consequences of those traumatic experiences. I believe in community engagement, education, and empowerment. I have pledged to educate the community regarding the power of meaningful access to education and the damage caused by the collateral consequences of juvenile and criminal legal system involvement. I embrace the opportunities to speak at national and local conferences, so that I may promote the rights of poor persons and communities of color. In my free time, I volunteer at local charities that elevate humanity and support the advancement of my neighbors and community members.