Alexandria J Hughes, Wesam Shahed, Esq., and the AB Korkor Foundation for Mental Health discuss the many ways how mental health plays a role in our judicial and legal systems.

Alexandria J Hughes is a University of Michigan graduate, and Michigan native passionate about mental health and art. Currently I work as a Mental Health and criminal justice organizer at Michigan Liberation, am part of the leadership team at Accountability for Dearborn, and have 3.5 years experience working as a behavioral health therapist in schools, homes and ABA Centers at Centria Healthcare. Through work experience, and personal experiences with racial inequalities, I’ve learned that existing problems within our criminal legal system often intersect with problems pertaining to mental health services and access. This motivated me to become an organizer and advocate for change. I firmly believe that we can create a world where humanity isn’t selective.

Wesam Shahed is a first-generation Palestinian-American from Chicago, Illinois. He serves as an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO), the second-largest prosecutor’s office in the US. Wesam has not only been recognized as one of the most promising young talents in the CCSAO, but he has also been internationally recognized in the Arab American Foundation’s “30 Under 30.” Wesam recently gave a TEDx Talk on criminal justice reform titled "Does Justice Require a Conviction?" discussing misconceptions about prosecutors and what alternative prosecution methods need to be focused on. Wesam’s involvement ranges far beyond his day job, as he is the Finance Director for the first Muslim and Palestinian American to be elected by the Democratic Party into Illinois’s House Legislature in 2023. At only 24, Wesam earned his B.A. in Pre-Law: Business Management from Loyola University Chicago and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Michigan State University College of Law. Wesam holds executive leadership positions for the Arab American Bar Association, the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition, the Arab Professional Business Association (APBA).

Originally Recorded January 26, 2023