Speaking Out and Making Change on Capitol Hill
By Ann Espuelas
Stories matter. In case you ever had any doubt, read on about five days, 25 meetings, 17 storytellers, and changing hearts and minds …
Recently, FAMM hosted a Lobby Week to show lawmakers on Capitol Hill how real people are affected by a bad law — the 18:1 disparity in the way the justice system treats crack-cocaine offenses and powder-cocaine offenses. The effects of this injustice have been devastating, especially to communities of color. So for five days straight, FAMM and several family members of people in prison and formerly incarcerated people met with the staff of members of Congress. The meetings all took place over Zoom, but that didn’t lessen the impact of the stories shared.
Charnetha Bell-Johnson told Hill staffers about growing up without her dad for the last 24 years, and how she is waiting until he’s home before she gets married to her fiancé. She’s worried about her father’s health, so she’s studying to be a nurse to be able to take care of him when he is released. Annie Brown talked about “one of the best people in my life,” Cornelius Mitchell. In 2012, he was sentenced to almost 20 years for charges including distribution of crack cocaine, and her family was turned upside down.
In Rep. Anthony Gonzalez’s office, Angel Henson told staffers that if her husband had been sentenced for powder, his 15-year sentence would have been five years, and he’d already be home with her and their two teenage kids. Kendrick Fulton said that the disparity meant that he “got more time than Noriega.” Jason Hernandez related that because was arrested with the final cocaine product (crack), and the head of the conspiracy was charged for having the powder cocaine before it was processed into crack, they got wildly different sentences.
Staffers who listened said that hearing from affected people genuinely moved them. One person said he was putting the disparity near the top of his list of issues he brings to his boss. Others immediately began reaching out to their network to learn more. They seemed to really understand how this unfair law created a loss of hope in individuals, and also larger communities. Many were visibly moved. At the end of the week, we were left with assurances from many offices that they would reach out to sponsors and assess whether they could support legislation that would get rid of the disparity.
As for the storytellers, having their stories heard was powerful. “My experience speaking with Sen. Ted Cruz’s office and Sen. John Cornyn’s office was an amazing one,” said Gerald Tarboro. “To be able to tell my story in the hopes that it opens up someone’s eyes in a position to make some changes was very important for me. I still have friends that are heavily affected by this law, friends that will not have the chance to see their families or children for a long time, if ever, because of how draconian these drug laws are. We are never looking for pity — just what is fair and just.”
William Curtis said, “It is not every day that a person gets a chance to speak about the experiences in his life and the changes that need to take place.”
Tanesha Bannister, freed because of the First Step Act, said, “My experience is always fulfilling emotionally … I have lived what so many continue to go through and my story mirrors thousands of incarcerated individuals. I know the feeling all too well to be isolated and not having a voice. That has and always will inspire me to speak out. Even though I’m free I haven’t forgotten about the ones that are not and deserve that second chance.”
And for Steve Hardridge, now out of prison after a 15-year sentence on crack charges, speaking out for reform is so important that he joined the Zoom meeting with Hill staffers as he was hooking up his tractor-trailer for work, propping his phone up so he’d be seen — and heard. He can’t stop thinking about all the people he left behind in prison, still inside because of a bad law. “Repealing the disparity would really send a powerful message,” Steve said. “It’s just the right thing to do.”
Help FAMM end this insidious disparity. Go here and add your voice to the fight.
Ann Espuelas is FAMM’s Director of Family Outreach and Storytelling.
