Sarah Moore and Bryson Austin to Speak at League of Women Voters of Washington County’s Drinks and Dialogue Event
The League of Women Voters of Washington County (LWVWC) continues its Drinks and Dialogue gatherings in January. This event will take place at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 7, at Crisis Brewing, 210 S. Nelson Hackett Blvd., in Fayetteville.
The guest speakers will be Sarah Moore and Bryson Austin, with the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition (AJRC). Moore is a co-founder of the coalition, and Austin serves as its program director. They will discuss “How the courts and incarceration impact us all,” touching on regional and state topics, the state prison system, and how people can make an impact locally.
Moore co-founded the AJRC in January 2019. The organization had an initial focus on stopping jail expansion, which to date has prevented more than $300 million in needless incarceration in Northwest Arkansas. The AJRC advocates for ending mass incarceration through education and awareness, direct aid, and policy and legislative change led by the individuals and families directly impacted by the criminal legal system.
Moore is a member of the NWA NAACP legal redress committee, the National Lawyers Guild, and the League of Women Voters. In January 2023, Moore began serving on the Fayetteville City Council as a council member for Ward 2, with a focus on creating greater equity in the City of Fayetteville.
In addition to serving as the program director for the AJRC, Austin is also the first elected treasurer for Arkansas Renters United — the first renters union in the state of Arkansas. Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, he holds an honors Bachelor of Science in Economics with a minor in German from the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.
During his undergraduate years at the university, Austin served as the University of Arkansas Associated Student Government director of diversity and inclusion; a senator for Walton College; the logistics chair for the University of Arkansas’ Distinguished Lectures Committee; a representative for Gregson residence hall; an honors peer mentor; a supplemental instructor; the vice president of finance for his fraternity; and as the president of two registered student organizations: the Arkansas Student Minority Report and the campus chapter of Partners for Better Housing.
Austin’s advocacy as a community organizer and AJRC’s program director centers around prison abolition, housing the unhoused, and liberation for all oppressed communities.
This event is open to the public, and admission is free.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to encouraging informed and active participation in government. The group does not endorse any candidates or political parties.
To learn more about the League of Women Voters of Washington County, please visit LWVARWC.org.
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About the League of Women Voters of Washington County
The League of Women Voters of Washington County is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization that empowers voters and defends democracy. The League is committed to ensuring that all eligible voters have the opportunity and the information to participate in local, state and national elections. For more information, visit LWVARWC.org.
