“Sweet Taste of Justice”

Location: The Sunset Room – 310 E 3rd St. Austin, TX 78701

Time: 7-9 pm

Attire: Texas Formal

Join Lone Star Justice Alliance on October 24th at the Sunset Room in Austin to hear incredible impact stories, celebrate the growth of the organization, and learn about the important work still being done.

Hear from Dieter Cantu, an organizer with a passion for juvenile justice reform, urban agriculture, fighting for equity and equality for those in need. As a youth he received a ten-year sentence and spent close to four years incarcerated for his first offense. Dieter founded Cantu’s Books to Incarcerated Youth Project. The purpose of this program is to make a variety of books available to youths housed at various Texas Juvenile Justice Department facilities.  Dieter served on President Barack Obama’s 21st Century Police Task Force where he brought forward new ideas that led to improvements in San Antonio Police Department operations and policy initiatives. Dieter was awarded his own day on February 13th, 2018 in San Antonio and on October 23rd in Houston for impacting communities across the state through his grassroots leadership and charitable endeavors. In March 2018, he participated in a TED Talk titled, “The Child Who Believed He Could” where he shared his past experiences as a youth in the juvenile system and strategies to reform the current system. He was recognized by Houston Business Journal as a 40 Under 40 Honoree and named an NAACP Millennial Game Changer and Reebok Human Rights Award Recipient. He was selected for the Rotary Club U40 program and is currently an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

We are also thrilled to have a short film debuting about Jason Robinson, a currently incarcerated client of the Lone Star Justice Alliance, who is working to ensure others are granted the civil liberties he was not afforded. Jason’s film will be introduced by his father Larry Robinson, a decorated war veteran and current Lone Star Justice Alliance board member.

The event will include a three-course fine dining experience with Café Momentum, which provides a transformative experience for justice-involved youth through a paid internship program designed to provide 12 months of curriculum for justice-involved youth, ages 15-19. Our interns rotate through all aspects of the restaurant, focusing on life and social skills, coaching, and development.