This post is a long time coming, but I think maybe I've been afraid to write it. Often, I feel timid in posting publicly about social justice because I'm afraid my white privilege might be showing. Uh, duh - I'm white, it will be. Anyway, I read a book this last spring that opened my eyes and changed my thoughts unlike any book I've ever read. Maybe read is the wrong word, I actually listened to the audiobook while I trained for my half marathon that I ran back in May (I told you this post was overdue...). The book is called Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Bryan is a Southern Black man who became a lawyer and then returned to the south to work for, and later begin, a non-profit law firm. The narrative of this book mostly follows the story of a black man named Walter who was wrongly accused of murder and put on death row for several years while Bryan continued to try to appeal Walter's case. There was so much corruption within the whole case, corruption with the local authorities, unfair juries, false testimonies, etc. Without giving too much away, I do want to share the end of the story. Walter, the man falsely accused of murder, had spent 6 years on death row. He had been denied freedom in his original trial as well as in an appeal several years later. After these traumatic years waiting to die, he was suddenly released back into the world, with nothing. Bryan worked to sue the state and eventually won a few thousand dollars for Walter, but that did nothing to repair the emotional, mental, and relational damages Walter had suffered. His wife no longer wanted to be married to him, as her life had changed drastically since he began his time in prison. He was unable to safely return to his community because of the bigotry and hate against him, even after he was proved innocent. Even once he was free from prison, he was far from being able to live a free life. Unfortunately, this is far too often the case. Many of the people who are put into jail or prison have no supports once they are let out. To compound this difficult situation is the fact that many people were in jail because of drugs, mental illness, or both. In any case, what is needed much more than prison is treatment. Even for those who go to treatment, there is little for them once they are out. How can we simply expect them to pick up their lives when there are so few supports in place for them? True, there are community organizations, but often I've seen them fail to help people in dire need - people applying for low income housing & being rejected because they don't have seven years of a clean drug record. Seven years. So after serving time in jail, going to treatment, and overcoming addiction, we expect them to begin a life with no opportunity for housing? With no address to apply for jobs or other assistance? No emotional support team for their addiction? Our communities have failed. Which is why, after reading Just Mercy during all of my runs, I realized how much I wanted to run for this - run for a purpose, for freedom & justice for people who have gone to jail/prison - innocent or guilty - and are trying to have a fresh start. After expressing my desire to a close friend of mine, she told me about a mutual friend of ours who was trying to start a run for just this purpose - to raise money for a ministry he has started that helps others re-enter the community. I was 100% on-board, even though it meant running again in August, when I still didn't want to run the upcoming half marathon I had signed up for. So in two weeks, Josh - the founder of Now What...Ministries and several other community members and I will be doing a bike/run from the Chippewa County Jail to the Dunn County Jail in an effort to raise money for this purpose. If you are interested in sponsoring my run, please visit gofundme.com/jail-to-jail-run. My goal is $500 and I still have quite a bit to raise, so it would mean a great deal to me & to our community if you considered it.
Other Resources:Donate
- Equal Justice Initiative - provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons Read - Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson - Nickel & Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
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December 2022
I'm guessing I'll have it all figured out by the time I turn 30.
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