By Jess Lawson | Program Coordinator
Since our last report, we have become much more familiar faces at our local US Post Office. Last week, we mailed approximately 300 copies of our brand new literary journal, “The Untold Story of the Real Me: Young Voices From Prison.” A collection of poetry written by young men charged and incarcerated as adults in DC while under the age of 18, this anthology covers a broad range of topics, including race, family, education, and love, and freedom. It also features individual profiles of 15 of our members, who have completed their sentences and have since returned to the community (Find out more about the journal here). Although each untold story is unique, one common theme is the transformative power of reading and writing in the lives of these young men.
“A Smash Hit”
This past month, our members have been reading Debbie Doesn’t Do It Anymore, a novel by Walter Mosley about a black porn star who finds her husband dead in a hot tub with another woman. With his Jewish and black heritage, the Californian-born author has a unique perspective on the racial inequalities in the US, about which he is quite outspoken. In this particular novel, Mosley explores the tensions of race, gender, sexuality, loss, and money as Debbie decides to leave the porn industry for good and put the pieces of her life back together, alone and in debt.
Although the portrait of an exploited and defeated spirit fighting to survive was on the heavier side, Free Minds members were transfixed by Debbie Doesn’t Do It Anymore:
“Thanks for the new BAM! books. I didn’t think every one was going to be like a smash hit, to the point I can’t put it down and I read it in a day or so… [Debbie Doesn’t Do It Anymore] was good, a lil wild at times but raw at the most... Debbie was really from the streets, her whole MO was cold. Nice but cold. I mean when you’re in the streets or have come from the streets you learn to never really show your feelings. To show feelings makes you weak, makes you the prey they soon to be eating. She has a lot going on… She sad, lonely, overworked, I mean she going through life. I know it seems sad or crazy but this is the life of more than half of colored people in the US. Not all of us will have a helping hand and it’s going to be way harder without it. But killing yourself will never be the answer to whatever you’re looking for. Live life, love life, and try to see it to the end. God put us here for that reason, at least give him that much respect. Good book, I liked it. I read it in 3 days.” -SJ
“Debbie Doesn’t Do It Anymore is a good book to read. Why? Because it shows you life’s challenges in your life, my life, and Debbie’s. Next time if you feel like doing something dumb or putting yourself in harm’s way, think about the book you have read.” -MH
“It has a lot of powerful acts and ways to help a person who lived a messy life to look at things in another light. I also got from the book is that when you want to change your life from one that you are used to living it just can’t happen overnight and you also need your friends, family, and loved ones to help.” -DM
The Free Minds Connect: Moving Forward
In September, we mailed out another issue of our bimonthly newsletter, which focused on the theme “Moving Forward.” Free Minds member JG, who writes a regular column for the Connect, talked about how moving forward reminds him of flowing water:
“Water, when in its natural state, is always fluid, flowing, never stagnant...When we focus on our goals and what we want, always looking at the glass as half full, we’ll always remain in a state of forward motion.” - JG
The mother of one of our Free Minds members who is in federal prison wrote a column about how she copes with her son’s incarceration:
“I went to therapy which really helped me...Every time I left her office I felt so relieved and happier...I’ve always been a happy person but the therapy really helped. I would definitely recommend it to other moms out there.” - CW
Other columns included a piece entitled “Forgiveness,” written by a black pastor in DC about the shooting in Charleston, NC, as well as a brand new legal advice column called “The Legal Pad.” We also included Part One of a story written by a returning citizen from Portland, Oregon, who talks about growing up amidst drugs, addiction, and abuse:
“...Each morning, I had to fend for myself, because everyone was asleep from partying… Both of my parents and all of my uncles (except for one that had had been shot and became a paraplegic) were in the federal pen... It wasn’t a hard decision for a kid with no positive male figure in his life being raised by the realities of his environment. Just like that I gave up what I loved for a life of pain. Yet the crazy thing about “gang culture” is that it will make you believe pain is love if you have never felt loved.”-LA
Our next issue of the Free Minds: Connect, will focus on Family, both biological and those who have earned that place in our lives. Poems around the topic have already arrived at the office, and we can’t wait to read even more about how our members continue to create family wherever they are.
Write Night Is Back In Session!
In September, we had Write Night at Seekers in Takoma Park, Maryland, with a huge turn out! When asked how many were there for the first time, half of the room raised their hands! At least a third of the room also responded favorably when asked if they wrote poems themselves. By the end of the night, our volunteers wrote encouraging comments and notes on over 30 different poems, which we will mail to each of the authors. It is moments like these that continue to remind us of the power of poetry to build bridges between people behind bars and individuals on the outside.
We were also excited to welcome a film team from Sojourners Magazine, who featured Free Minds in their September/October issue. See the video of our Poet Ambassadors sharing their stories at Write Night here.
A Story of Justice and Redemption
Next month, every Books Across the Miles Book club member will receive a copy of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson. Arguably one of the most important defense attorneys and civil rights leaders of our time, Stevenson founded the Equal Justice Initative (EJI), a non-profit organization dedicated to reforming the criminal justice system and defending poor people who have been denied effective representation. To date, the organization has prevented 115 men from being executed on death row.
This book, perhaps more challenging than comforting, tells about one of Stevenson’s first cases defending Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a murder he didn't commit. We are eagerly anticipating our members’ reactions to this important and inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of justice.
As we continue to expand and improve our programs, we want to extend a special thank you to all of you who have contributed to our success. Thanks to your support, more incarcerated youth are sharing their stories and writing new chapters in their lives.
Links:
By Jess Lawson | Communications & Outreach Coordinator
By Julia Mascioli | Communications & Evaluation Specialist
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
