There Is No Them; There Is Only Us

Join the Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures for an evening to celebrate the recent release of by Cornell professor, lawyer, and author Joseph Margulies.

Professor Margulies will begin the evening by discussing his book and the philosophies that shape his approach. A panel discussion with moderator Marissa Rivera and Richard Rivera will follow, with time for questions.

This event is free and open to the public. Hors d'oeuvres will be available during the event. The first 30 attendees to the event will each receive a free copy of the book.

In Cast Out, civil rights lawyer Joseph Margulies insists that those who commit even the most heinous crimes are one of us and should be judged in a spirit of forgiveness. He explains that American society is too often unforgiving, preferring to cast out those we consider irredeemable by fixating narrowly on the question, “What did they do?”, and imagining that those who have done great wrongs have no past worth learning and no future worth preserving. But judgment in a forgiving spirit demands that we ask, “What happened?” What brought a human being to this place. Through intimate interviews, his rich chapters bring to life six men and women, sharing their (sometimes brutal) crimes, the grim but all-too-human paths that led them there, and their evolution and insights. Eye-opening and unflinching, Cast Out makes us truly see those society locks away—the so-called “worst of the worst.” It challenges the reader to see us in them and them in us, and in that way, to recognize the humanity we all share.

Joseph Margulies is a Professor of the Practice of Government at Cornell University. He is a writer, litigator, and teacher. All of his work shares common themes, the most important of which is that I am opposed to demonization in all its forms, distilling his personal philosophy to eight words: There is no them, there is only us. His most recent book, Cast Out: A Call for a Forgiving Society in an Age of Incarceration (Beacon 2026), is a call to see us in them and them in us, and in that way, to recognize the humanity we all share. His other books include Thanks for Everything, Now Get Out: Can We Restore Neighborhoods Without Destroying Them? (Yale 2021); What Changed When Everything Changed: 9/11 and the Making of National Identity (Yale 2013); and Guantanamo and the Abuse of Presidential Power (Simon & Schuster 2006). As a civil rights lawyer, Margulies was Counsel of Record in Rasul v. Bush (2004), which gave Guantanamo detainees the right to challenge their detention in federal court, and in Munaf v. Geren (2008), which gave American citizens the right to challenge their detention by the U.S. government, regardless of where they are held in the world. He is also the director of The Compassionate Release Project, which represents federal prisoners in motions for compassionate release.

Marissa Rivera (moderator) is an American Politics PhD Candidate in the Department of Government at Cornell University. Her research primarily explores the political economy of the criminal-legal system and its consequences for racial inequality. Through mixed-methods research, Marissa’s dissertation investigates the impact of Pr*son privatization and minimum occupancy clauses on criminal justice policy, sentencing guidelines, and racial disparities in incarceration from a subnational perspective.

Richard Rivera is Assistant to the Executive Director for Special Initiatives at the Center for Community Alternatives, where he leads initiatives at the intersection of reentry, public policy, research, and lived experience. A credible messenger, scholar-advocate, and systems change strategist; he works to strengthen opportunities for people impacted by the criminal legal system. Richard currently leads a collaborative project with Pace University and the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services examining reentry and Alternatives to Incarceration services across Westchester County. He also serves as Interim Director of the Credible Westchester Initiative, a countywide effort he designed to expand the use of credible messengers and strengthen collaboration among public agencies, courts, schools, and community-based organizations. Previously, Richard developed, implemented, and administered the first Academic Reentry Services initiative for the Cornell Pr*son Education Program, helping formerly incarcerated students navigate the transition into higher education and campus life. Since his release in 2019, he has helped develop innovative reentry programs, transitional housing initiatives, and research efforts that have informed community reintegration and public safety initiatives across New York. His work is grounded in a simple belief: there are no disposable human beings, and every person deserves dignity, opportunity, and a meaningful chance to rebuild their life.