VOICE / VISIBILITY
Do you hesitate to address any problems re: prison conditions and/or staff in blog posts, or during radio or podcast interviews?
It is important to me that my voice and writings maintain their integrity, so I am selective about what I choose to discuss. I do not back down from writing about any topic I believe deserves visibility. I carefully vet any sources I use and I am careful to protect people’s identity when necessary. Sometimes that means maintaining the anonymity of staff and prisoners. I have had staff and prisoners ask me to write about specific issues over the years and both have contributed information helpful to my articles.
I try to focus on discussing broader prison reform and social justice issues rather than individual matters. Sometimes it is necessary to expose corruption or abuse of authority by specific staff members. Having my own blog and ability to be featured on other widely visited blogs, websites, and podcasts makes it unnecessary to seek publication in newspapers or magazines unless I want to. Years ago that wasn’t the case.
The media used to have a monopoly on what stories were shared with the public. I can now take my writings and stories directly to the people and feature them on my blog. No one can cage my voice, thoughts, or expression. The public is now able to have a glimpse into what happens in Michigan prisons and the opportunity to hear the other side of the story. For years, prisoners were not only invisible to the public, they were also voiceless and no one heard their stories.
Do prison staff ever discuss your blog with you or writings that you have published online?
All the time. I have never been to a prison where staff that Googled my name and saw the results didn’t ask questions or comment about my writings. I have been blogging now for about eleven years. It has been an important vehicle to share my thoughts and creativity with the world. I have connected with people from every continent of the world through the sharing of my writings and use of social media.
A few years ago when I was at a prison in the Upper Peninsula I met a staff member who was experiencing problems with his son. He had read my blog and believed I may be able to help him. The staff member asked me for advice about correcting his behavior and trying to get him to listen. The parents feared he was on the path to incarceration because of his troubled and destructive behavior. The father cited my demeanor and ability to influence others positively as reasons he chose to approach me.
I gave the father some suggestions to consider that could be helpful to him and his wife in the situation. I also wrote an article specifically addressing the situation and had someone post it on the Internet for me. In it I discussed my experience growing up in prison and what I witnessed happen in the lives of other young people while incarcerated. It was also the first time I wrote something for a parent after becoming a parent myself. I was no longer writing from the perspective of just being a man. I was now writing from the perspective of being a father and wanting for someone’s else child what I want for my own child.
I was very open and honest in the article and shared details I had not even previously shared with my own family before. The staff member directed his son to read the letter which got the young man’s attention and helped him and his parents get his life back on track. They all expressed their gratitude to me for caring and taking the time to help. (I subsequently had the article removed from the Internet after it was viewed by the intended reader).
I have also spoken to several staff members who found my writings on the Internet about different subjects and have questions or comments. Sometimes they want to debate about issues or express that their opinions have changed because of something I have written or said in an interview. The dialogue also sometimes results in me changing my mind about issues because of something they share with them.
Occasionally a staff member wants to express their disagreement with something I may write about. As long as they keep our conversation civil I don’t mind talking to them about subjects I write about even if they disagree with me. I think it’s healthy for people to have conversations about subjects they have differing views about. It helps them both learn from each other. If staff members become condescending or disrespectful I simply don’t engage in conversation with them.
How have you used social networking in your campaign for freedom?
It has helped me connect with thousands of amazing people all over the globe and garner more support each day. Harnessing the power of social networking has allowed me to meet some powerful organizers, become friends with great change makers, and learn so many new, exciting things. The stories about meeting people through social networking, my blog, and website are too many to begin even sharing in this interview. Suffice to say that the Internet catapulted my campaign for freedom and helped me gain visibility exponentially.
I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t mention that none of this would be possible without an amazing team of loyal, dedicated, and special people who created and help maintain my digital footprint. They devote a great deal of time, energy, and resources to making it all work each day. It is an enormous undertaking I am eternally grateful to each of them for helping me with. I just generate ideas. The credit for all the heavy lifting to transform my ideas into reality goes to them.
How do you feel when your views in writings or interviews with people are criticized?
I encourage people to express themselves and share their opinions. I recognize that there are some people who like to hide behind their devices and project their frustrations on others. I don’t take it personal, especially when it is clear someone hasn’t taken the time to read and understand my point of view and is only exhibiting troll behavior.
I enjoy reading people’s thoughtful comments and feedback because often they make good points or cause me to reconsider my position about an issue. I like to know what my readers are thinking and feeling about issues. I have even forged friendships with people who initiated contact with me expressing disagreement with something I wrote.
At the end of the day the goal is to evoke meaningful conversations about issues that affect us all. If people contact me and want to discuss important issues I invite the opportunity to do so. We can all become catalysts of change. But it can’t occur if we elect to be narrow-minded or isolate ourselves. No one has a monopoly on truth or the only keys to unlock the solutions to society’s ills. Exhibiting a sense of superiority or extremism are never good in any situation.
The Chicago-based artist, Tirtza Even, is currently producing a film about your life and experience in prison. What are you most looking forward to about the screening of the film?
I think it is important for the world to learn about why we need to abolish LWOP sentences for youth and provide them alternative term-of-year sentences that allow them to be rehabilitated and afford them an opportunity for release one day. I want to shatter many of the adverse stereotypes about prisoners, the prison milieu, and help people understand the value of redemption.
