Robert Perkinson

Ashley and Wren sit down with historian and educator Robert Perkinson to explore the intersections of incarceration, higher education, and public dialogue. Robert shares how his path from student activism to academia eventually brought him to Hawaiʻi and to the University of Hawaiʻi’s Better Tomorrow Speaker Series, a program designed to bring complex social issues into open, community-centered conversations.Together they examine how systems such as mass incarceration and immigration detention shape society, and why prison should be a last resort rather than a default response. The conversation also looks at the role universities can play in social change by producing knowledge, connecting diverse voices, and creating space for big ideas to meet real-world implementation. At its core, the episode reflects a shared belief that progress happens when people come together to question assumptions and imagine better futures.Socials: @robert_perkinson | @uh_btss | @uhmanoanews | LinkedInShow Notes:Better Tomorrow Speaker SeriesTexas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire Subscribe to hear more stories from change-makers in Hawai‘i: https://www.pilalipodcast.org/subscribe