A Conversation with Jason Flom – HuffPost 9.5.14

Mike Ragogna: Jason, let’s catch up on you. You were recently honored by Russell Simmons, Michael Bloomberg and all these folks from the Simmons Art For Life Foundation. Let’s go into that first. What was the award for?

Jason Flom: I think it was really for the general work that I do. I haven’t done a ton of work on the arts side, but I have been involved for over 20 years trying to reform the criminal justice system. I’m a founding board member of the Innocence Project, I’ve been on the boards of the Drug Policy Alliance and Families Against Mandatory Minimums for a long, long time. As you know, Russell is involved in that stuff, too, on the drug side specifically–The Rockefeller Drug Laws. He and I have worked together on certain initiatives and gotten to know each other as a result of that. He made a very beautiful speech in the event talking about the work that he had done in that area. I’m also on the board of The Flom Foundation, which helps gifted disadvantaged youth, so there’s a connection there with Art For Life. Interestingly, my daughter bridges the gap, too, because she teaches a theater class in Rikers Island.