Dispatches from Beyond Incarceration - V-Day
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Dispatches from Beyond Incarceration

19 Aug

Posted at 13:30h in Dispatches from Beyond Incarceration, V-Day

Life can sometimes feel overwhelming and out of balance in today's world of uncertainty, chaos, and fear. I was in a challenging place for the past several months and felt like I was at the end of my rope, I just didn’t know what to do about the challenges that were popping up in my life. Yet somehow, the universe seemed to know what I needed, and I had to trust the process. I surrendered and gave in by attending the second workshop in the well-being series called “The Crossover,” which Jennifer Mancuso and Sherrie Frank introduced to our group...

02 Jul

Posted at 16:13h in Dispatches from Beyond Incarceration, V-Day

I was honored and excited to be invited to participate in a panel discussion following the New York screening of Chesa Boudin's powerful documentary film Beyond Bars. This was my first time seeing the movie, and it proved to be an incredibly moving and emotional experience for me. The film chronicles Chesa's life growing up, visiting his parents in prison - one of whom was my dear friend, mentor, and confidante, Kathy Boudin. Watching the years go by on screen, seeing Chesa make those regular trips to Bedford Hills, hit me viscerally. I was transported back to my own experience of being...

21 May

Posted at 16:11h in Dispatches from Beyond Incarceration, V-Day

FREEHER 10th Anniversary On April 24th, 2024, a historic event took place in Washington, D.C., as more than a thousand passionate individuals gathered to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Freeher march. This monumental event, organized by "The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls," was a significant step towards highlighting the unique challenges faced by women in prisons. The movement aimed to advocate for the rights of incarcerated women and demand clemency for those who have been incarcerated for decades. Participants from different parts of the United States came together to create a united front in the fight...

31 Jan

Posted at 16:09h in Dispatches from Beyond Incarceration, V-Day

The Right/Write to Heal Initiative is a joint project of the Columbia Center for Justice and V-Day’s Beyond Incarceration Project. Through Right/Write to Heal, women share how they cope with the consequences of incarceration on themselves, their families and communities, with the goal of changing how people understand the impact of criminalization on women. Writing and storytelling are therapeutic interventions for people who have experienced loss and trauma, and can lead to healing, redemption, and intimacy when shared collectively and with others who have been impacted. The goal is to humanize the unique individual and collective experiences of women, particularly...

06 Jul

Posted at 16:08h in Dispatches from Beyond Incarceration, V-Day

In a powerful display of solidarity and creative expression, participants from Right/Write to Heal New York traveled to Portland, Maine, to participate in the second annual "Abolition Night" at the STRAND THEATRE in Rockland, Maine. The Right/Write to Heal Initiative is a joint project of the Columbia Center for Justice and V-Day’s Beyond Incarceration Project. Through Right/Write to Heal, women share how they cope with the consequences of incarceration on themselves, their families and communities, with the goal of changing how people understand the impact of criminalization on women. Writing and storytelling are therapeutic interventions for people who have experienced loss...

08 Nov

Posted at 17:36h in Dispatches from Beyond Incarceration, One Billion Rising, V-Day

The 5th annual FreeHer conference brought together formerly incarcerated women and directly affected people. Activists, advocates, experts, policymakers, and supporters from across the country came to connect and share ideas and resources to work collectively toward ending the incarceration of women and girls and creating systems to empower themselves and their communities. The event featured armchair conversations, panel discussions, abolition and social justice organizations, networking opportunities, speakers, breakout rooms, and more. The following is my journal reflections on the conference as it was taking place. The annual FreeHer is underway and I am excited to see everyone and be here in this...

01 Apr

Posted at 16:06h in Dispatches from Beyond Incarceration, V-Day

I had the opportunity to go to the New York state capitol in Albany three times in March with Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) to urge lawmakers not to sign onto Governor Hochul's plan to push back bail reform. It is appalling that she wants to implement the passage of her 10-point public safety plan into the budget with bail reform and rollbacks as a caveat. This controversial safety plan and budget is an insult to all advocates and activists who have diligently worked to protect the most marginalized people in our city over the past decades. [caption id="attachment_48480" align="alignright" width="320"]...

03 Dec

Posted at 16:05h in Dispatches from Beyond Incarceration, V-Day

New $10 Million Women’s Re-entry Center Opens in Maine» After three years of parole supervision, New York State finally discharged me. As a free woman, my excitement brewed for my first visit to  Maine. Cheryl Wilkins and Yolanda-Peterkin Johnson accompanied me. We wanted to connect with the women in our group, Right/Write to Heal, for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women in New York and Maine and see them in person. Cheryl and Yolanda were also crucial speakers in the Abolition Night at the Strand Theater. I couldn’t have had better companions.  I admire these women for their strength and dedication to...

03 Dec

Posted at 16:01h in Dispatches from Beyond Incarceration, V-Day

On October 13, 2021, several organizations came together to protest closing the death camp; closing this death chamber has been a long-standing issue for advocates of criminal justice reform and abolitionists throughout New York State for decades. The crumbling infrastructure, the infestation of rodents,  inhumane living conditions, the onset of COVID-19, and the ongoing deplorable abuse from staff and persons in custody have resulted in far too many deaths. I remember back in 1979 being shipped off to Rikers Island at 17 years of age. I was petrified because of the stories I heard about the rapes, the rat infestation, the...

25 Aug

Posted at 18:11h in Dispatches from Beyond Incarceration, One Billion Rising, V-Day

  With the pandemic’s devastating effects on the prison communities and the world, this year has been tough on all of us. August 12th, 2021, was a day criminal justice advocates set aside to remember the life of Valerie Gaiter, my co-defendant. Val never received the proper medical evaluation and attention that could have saved her life. She also was never granted clemency. A group of formerly incarcerated women, men, and several assembly members came together for Val Gaiter: Chris Burdick, Carmen De La Rosa, Julian Salazar, Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, Harvey Epstein, Taylor Darling Latrice Walker, David Weprin, and Assembly Deputy Majority Leader Solages....