Censorship, Labor, Liberation
Two events and 14 new stories
Welcome to Empowerment Ave! Learn more about our history, partnerships, and past published work here. Subscribe to the newsletter here.
We are excited to end the year with some powerful events. This evening, a team of incredible incarcerated journalists (including EA writers Kwaneta Harris and Lyle May) present Censored by Prisons, Censored by TedX, a virtual panel on the pervasiveness of censorship in the carceral state and what it means for society as a whole. It’s not too late to register!
Tomorrow, in New York City, we’re pleased to co-present A Stamp Costs 5 Hours: A Panel Discussion on Compensation & Incarcerated Creative/Cultural Labor, in which we’ll present data about creative and cultural labor by incarcerated people as well as testimony and strategy to support, defend and compensate this labor. It will happen in the current exhibit, The Sky’s Fury Mirrors Mine, from our friends at Archive-Based Creative Arts. Space is limited — register here.
In California, our exhibit Painting Ourselves Into Society runs at the Berkeley Art Center until January 12th. Catch it in it’s final month! Details here.
Finally, if you feel compelled to support our work this Giving Tuesday, you can do so here. As always, we are grateful for support — which comes in so many forms — from our community inside and outside of prison.
Our Latest Work
For Election Day, Juan Moreno Haines, EIC of Solitary Watch1, wrote a prescient newsletter dispatch titled “What, to the Incarcerated American, Is Your Election Day?” He writes, “The persistent slave mentality of our nation, expressed in large part through our system of mass incarceration, plagues us like an old wound, which will forever pain our souls as long as we resist the healing balm of facing the truth.”
For Local News Matters2, San Quentin correspondent Steve Brooks reports on the importance of mental health therapy in prison, and the difficulties of accessing it. He writes, “With such a huge demand for mental health treatment in prison, it doesn’t seem feasible to ask for generalized therapy for those interested in maintaining their mental wellness.”
Steve Brooks also writes for TIME3 about the confusion and disconnect around Prop 6, which would have barred slavery in California prisons, and the implications for incarcerated Californians that the state did not pass it.
Prolonged isolation makes imprisoned people more violent and less likely to reintegrate into society. So why do prisons still use this inhumane practice liberally? Christopher Blackwell and Deborah Zalesne investigate for The Appeal4.
Two incarcerated moonshiners explain why their product is becoming more popular. One reason is that the prison population is getting older, reports Tony Vick for Filter Mag5. Another: Opioid analgesics are rarely prescribed in prison.
"More women than ever are experiencing menopause behind bars—and facing barriers to care." Kwaneta Harris writes for In These Times Magazine6 about menopause in prison. “My friends warned me that things would only worsen. They complained of suffering back-to-back hot flashes while being forced to work unpaid in the fields in triple-digit Texas heat.”
Demetrius Buckley writes from Michigan for Prism7 about the punitive time of prison and how it took somebody's life. "Shouldn’t a place that adheres so strictly to the ticking clock also use that clock to protect human life? … Shouldn’t time be used for more than just punishment in prison?"
The latest issue of Rattle8 is out, and it features Rattle Poetry Prize Finalist Demetrius Buckley! See below. You can buy your own copy here.
There are half a dozen potential pathways to getting naloxone into the hands of prisoners. The first two involve putting it in the bathrooms. Jonathan Kirkpatrick and Kastalia Medrano report for Filter Mag.
As part of Christopher Blackwell’s "Letter to My Teenage Self" project, Hector Ortiz reflects on the subject for Narratively9 from his prison cell in Washington state. He reexamines the traumas, hardships and bad choices that led to his lengthy sentence—and ultimately taught him about the man he needed to be.
For Inquest10, Phillip Vance Smith writes about the transformative and healing potential of restorative justice, despite the prison system putting up barriers to access it. The article follows the powerful story of Shawn and Cynthia.
For Film Comment11, Aaron Kinzer reviews the Kerry Washington-produced documentary Daughters: 'What Daughters does is challenge this media-fueled image of the violent, shank-wielding inmate..."
To continue our partnership with newsletter Black Lipstick12, Xandan Gulley writes a book review of Brendan Gillen’s STATIC. "Homelessness and failure are woven into a diary of self-theocracy and self-pity. An alternate title might be Story of My Life 101."
And one more for Black Lipstick for the start of December: Lanae Tipton and Marissa Leanne Potts share essays about how cycles of abuse are continued and exacerbated inside prison. “What incarcerated victims of abuse really need to heal is an actual sanctuary from abuse and intimidation, not further harassment and punishment,” writes Lanae.
For the latest issue of Paper Chained Magazine, EA artist/writer Corey Arthur’s work graces the cover and EA artist Mark Cádiz’s work graces the back cover.
Artist Spotlight: Mark A. Cádiz, aka Rev. M. Seishin Cádiz
This month we are shining a light on this impressive composite painting by Mark Cádiz created for Painting Ourselves into Society — still on display at the Berkeley Art Center until January 12th. Cádiz has been part of EA since the beginning. His impeccable illustration skills always help to bring his paintings to life. This one is no different, as he pushes his own boundaries by turning four distinct paintings into one, reflecting on “the vote”.
In his own words, “The disenfranchisement of people with felony convictions disproportionately affects people of color. Who does it serve? What do they fear? Absolute power does not corrupt absolutely. It is the fear of losing absolute power that corrupts.”
Inside/Outside Insights
VOLUNTEER: Join a freedom campaign in support of Kwaneta Harris, an EA writer and criminalized survivor who has spent more than 17 years incarcerated, with 8.5 of those years in solitary confinement. Visit this link for more info.
IN THE NEWS: We are honored to be included in a story from The Objective offering advice for journalists covering the next Trump presidency. Our take: Build relationships with criminalized reporters already working under highly oppressive conditions.
LISTEN: Shado Magazine featured Tony Cobb on their latest podcast! He's reading his story about heat in Florida prisons, which published with the magazine in February. You can listen to the podcast here and read the article here.
DONATE: EA writer Raymond Williams is now home from prison and is starting from scratch to rebuild his life. You can contribute to his support fundraiser here.
FOLLOW: We are now on Bluesky! Follow us here.
Want to connect with us more?
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram | Donate to our work here | Learn more on our website here | Build with us at empowermentave@gmail.com
Solitary Watch is the premier source of news and information on solitary confinement in U.S. prisons and jails.
Local News Matters is a nonprofit site bringing community coverage to the San Francisco Bay Area region so that the people, places and topics that deserve more attention get it.
Time is an American news magazine based in New York City.
The Appeal covers criminal justice issues from a progressive lens and pays $1/word.
Filter’s mission is to advocate through journalism for rational and compassionate approaches to drug use, drug policy, and human rights. They pay $300 per essay.
In These Times is an American politically progressive monthly magazine of news and opinion published in Chicago, Illinois. They pay around $500 per essay.
Prism is an independent, nonprofit newsroom led by and for people of color that launched the Right to Write Project to feature and pay incarcerated writers. They pay .50 per word.
Rattle is a quarterly poetry magazine founded in 1994, published in Los Angeles.
Narratively is a Substack publication that publishes untold human stories that surprise, delight and captivate readers.
Inquest is a forum for advancing bold ideas to end mass incarceration in the United States. They pay $250 per essay.
Founded in 1962, Film Comment magazine features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. They pay $300 per essay.
Black Lipstick is a Substack publication featuring art and writing on makeup, mental health, mortality, queerness, sex, gender, nostalgia, pop culture, parenthood, weird dreams, dark thoughts, and everything else. They pay $150 per essay.