Among those fighting the 2025 L.A. fires were incarcerated individuals participating in California’s controversial inmate firefighting program. This forum examines the program from the perspectives of formerly incarcerated firefighters, including issues around compensation and potential program reforms. Moderator Romarilyn Ralston, a Black feminist abolitionist who served 23 years in prison and now leads the Justice Education Center for the Claremont Colleges and is the current Activist-in-Residence at the UCLA Center for the Study of Women, guides a discussion with panelists Cody Ridley, Lead Captain of the Golden Eagles Hotshots at Sycuan Indian Reservation and a former inmate firefighter; and Amika Mota, Executive Director of Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition and former incarcerated firefighter who authored a moving op-ed in Teen Vogue on her experiences.

Hammer Forum is made possible by the Rosenbloom Family.

Co-presented with the UCLA Center for the Study of Women.