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Volume 12, Issue 4
Family, There is a special power rooted in womanhood that many people won’t ever understand. The impact of women and femmes in our world manifests itself in many different ways. I don’t believe that we’ve done our best to amplify and celebrate exalt - the power of women and femmes as we should. I’m excited that this issue of the Black & Pink National Newsletter is dedicated to doing just that. As many of you know, in March of 2020 I started a medical transition, starting a journey to find the best, most whole version of myself. Unexpectedly, I found myself on a deep journey to investigate what my womanhood would manifest as. It brought forth memories of my mother, of my
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grandmother and my aunties. My closest friends, the grace of Whitney Houston, and the presence of Brandy (two of my biggest musical influences) and thoughts of legends like Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross. I wanted to be an amalgamation of the best parts of the women and femmes who have inspired me. That felt too powerful to finally feel like whoever I wanted to be was actually in reach and my wildest dreams were possible. I began to root myself in the wonderment of how womanhood and femininity lives in all of us and I’m happy to say that I’m far from done. But I can say that I have a good amount of steps behind me in this journey (what I now know will be a lifelong journey) and I can say that I’ve come to believe that the power and benefit of womanhood and femininity
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is not something that can be constrained to someone of a particular gender. It’s not something that can be constrained by a person’s presentation or society’s assumptions. It’s something that’s powerful and beautiful and as a Black Trans Woman - it’s something that has drastically improved and altered the trajectory of my life in ways I will never be able to properly explain. And because I’m a living witness of this power - I without question want everyone else to be able to touch it, be able to wrap themselves in it, and for some people that’s from a specific perspective of their gender identity, for some people that’s from the a perspective of their presentation and for some people it’s based on who they’re in relationship with - platonic or otherwise - and for some it’s just being in awe watching but it’s all
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In This Issue p3 to 5 - Letter from Dominique Morgan
p5 - Facts about COVID-19 p6 to 8 - Ask A Lawyer p9 to 11 - Pop Culture Update: Lil Nas X Makes Music Video Behind Bars p12 - Celebration of Black Women Jasmine Tasaki p13 - Reclaim Your Power p14 to 15 - The Gates of Freedom Angela Davis p16 to 19 - Disability Discrimination Self Advocacy Guide p20 - The Build Up: A Religion Column p21 to 22 - Black Women Punished For Self Defense Must Be Freed p23 to 28 - Lydon House Drawing Contest p29 - Passing An Abolitionist Amendment p31 to 43- Letters and Poems From Our Inside Family p44 - 45 - Coloring Pages p47 - An Update From Black & Pink National
Cover Image “We Keep Each Other Safe” by Amir Khadar Inside cover art by Alex W. (CO)
Black & Pink News
SEPTEMBER 2021
Disclaimer
Statement of Purpose
The ideas and opinions expressed in Black & Pink News are solely those of the authors and artists and do not necessarily reflect the views of Black & Pink. Black & Pink makes no representations as to the accuracy of any statements made in Black & Pink News, including but not limited to legal and medical information. Authors and artists bear sole responsibility for their work. Everything published in Black & Pink News is also on the Internet—it can be seen by anyone with a computer. By sending art or written work to “Newspaper Submissions,” you are agreeing to have it published in Black & Pink News and on the Internet. In order to respect our members’ privacy, we publish only first names and state locations. We may edit submissions to fit our antioppression values and/or based on our own editing guidelines.
Black & Pink is an open family of LGBTQ prisoners and “free world” allies who support each other. Our work toward the abolition of the prison-industrial complex (PIC) is rooted in the experiences of currently and formerly incarcerated people. We are outraged by the specific violence of the PIC towards LGBTQ people, and we respond through advocacy, education, direct service, and organizing. Black & Pink is proudly a family of people of all races and ethnicities. About Black & Pink News Since 2007, Black & Pink free world volunteers have pulled together a monthly newspaper, composed primarily of material written by our family’s incarcerated members. In response to letters we receive, we send the newspaper to more prisoners every month! Black & Pink News currently reaches more than 20,000 people!
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powerful, it’s all important, and at the end of the day it all allows us to appreciate the power of womanhood and femininity in our society. I am so excited for you all to learn about the women and femmes who have impacted my life and to be
able to create a space in this newsletter where I hope you see yourself in the people that we uplift. This issue of the newsletter is Black & Pink National’s declaration that without women and femmes many of us would not be here today and I can without question say that without my
womanhood I wouldn’t exist. I hope you all enjoy the issue - I hope you’re taking care of yourselves, loving on yourself and those close to you. Until next time, Dominique
Some FAQs About COVID-19 Should vaccinated people mask up with COVID-19 cases rising?
What should I know about the delta variant?
Yes. In places where the virus is surging, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that vaccinated people return to wearing masks in public indoor places.
It’s a version of the coronavirus that has been found in more than 80 countries since it was first detected in India. It got its name from the World Health Organization, which names notable variants after letters of the Greek alphabet.
The CDC recently announced the updated guidance, citing new evidence that vaccinated people who get breakthrough infections could carry enough virus in their noses and throats to infect others. COVID-19 vaccines greatly reduce the chance of severe illness and death and remain effective against variants, including the now predominant delta variant. But it’s still possible to get infected. Masking could prevent the spread of the virus to children too young for vaccination and people with weak immune systems. In short, the vaccine protects you. A mask protects others in case you are carrying the virus without knowing it.
Viruses constantly mutate, and most changes aren’t concerning. But there is a worry that some variants might evolve enough to be more contagious, cause more severe illness or evade the protection that vaccines provide. Experts say the delta variant spreads more easily because of mutations that make it better at latching onto cells in our bodies. In the United Kingdom, the variant is now responsible for 90% of all new infections. In the U.S., it represents 20% of infections, and health officials say it could become the country’s dominant type as well. It’s not clear yet whether the variant makes people sicker since more data needs to be
collected, said Dr. Jacob John, who studies viruses at the Christian Medical College at Vellore in southern India. Studies have shown that the available vaccines work against variants, including the delta variant. Researchers in England studied how effective the twodose AstraZeneca and PfizerBioNTech vaccines were against it, compared with the alpha variant that was first detected in the U.K. The vaccines were protective for those who got both doses but were less so among those who got one dose. It’s why experts say it’s important to be fully vaccinated. And it’s why they say making vaccines accessible globally is so critical. - Information presented courtesy of AP News
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Dear Aaron, I’ve been receiving Black & Pink for some time now, yet recently came across the “Ask a Lawyer Advocacy Column” in a current issue which now has me reaching out in order to present you & other individuals my dire situation/circumstance-and what I’m up against here on my end. I’m truly hoping to gain some insight, guidance, and understanding regarding what’s going on & how I might proceed with addressing safety concerns & my rights as a transgender [woman and a former gang member in federal prison]. … Below are the questions I now pose & am looking for answers to--and seeking guidance on: With my situation, what legal stand/argument do I have to keep/prevent my placement at a yard where I will not be safe? I HATE having to be in SHU, yet sending me to Active [Gang] yards with my situation that will become my reality & what I’m forced to endure/live! Although the BoP often forces us (Transgenders) to live/cell with anyone, although I often
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don’t feel safe or comfortable doing so, especially with things I’ve been through, nor do I believe I should have to live with anyone who is NOT a girl or at least in a similar situation & status. What legal stand/ argument do I have on this? I greatly appreciate your time & attention--along with any help & insight you could provide me in this truly dire matter. Please respond! Know I look forward to hearing from you & receiving any information/knowledge which could help or benefit me or my situation. Thank you! Sincerely, CP
Dear CP, Thank you for your question. I think that the issues you raised are ones that a lot of folks deal with. Folks often have issues with where they are housed, and those conflicts can lead to serious risks for them. Before I go any further, I want to flag
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that I’m going to be discussing issues related to physical and sexual assault in this piece. Please keep that in mind as you read on. If you start to feel yourself becoming panicky or overwhelmed by memories or anxieties, I invite you to try to focus on the feeling of your weight on the floor, your bed, or your seat. Slowly count your breaths backwards from 100. Remember that despite everything going on in your past and around you, right now you are safe. Slowly bring your awareness back to where you are, and to the sensations in your body. Issues related to housing while incarcerated are tricky. On the one hand, you have very little control over where you are housed. To get changes in the facility or yard you’re at, you have to advocate to prison staff to make the change. And on the other hand, while technically you can refuse your individual cell assignments, in most cases this leads to disciplinary charges (“tickets”). Folks may
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find themselves stuck between staying in a dangerous cell assignment, or deliberately getting tickets and being put in segregation to avoid risks of harm. Courts have said that prisons should not give people disciplinary tickets when they refuse housing for their own safety1, but in practice it is very difficult to challenge disciplinary actions in court.2 Under the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution, prisons inflict “cruel and unusual punishment” on incarcerated people when they are “deliberately indifferent” to “substantial risks of serious harm.”3 This means that prisons must actively protect people from risks of physical or sexual violence that they know about or should have known about.4 1. Gevas v. McLaughlin, 798 F.3d 475, 484 (7th Cir. 2015) (“A prisoner is not obligated to commit a disciplinary infraction in pursuit of [their] own safety”). 2. See Sandin v. Conner, 513 US 921 (1994) (due process is only violated when prison punishments rise to the level of an “atypical and significant hardship on the inmate in relation to the ordinary incidents of prison life”); Ashby v. Hobbs, 2:13CV00154 BSM, 2014 WL 505335 (E.D. Ark. Feb. 5, 2014) (denying injunctive relief to remove plaintiff from PREA segregation where plaintiff alleged officials placed him in retaliation for filing grievances). 3. Farmer v. Brennan, 511 US 825 (1994). 4. See, e.g., Giraldo v. Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, 168 Cal. App. 4th 231, 250-51
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Showing that the prison knew about the risk of harm is critical to legal arguments around the Eighth Amendment. There are many ways to show this. The most simple would be a situation in which someone’s cellmate had assaulted them previously, there was medical evidence or a corrections officer knew about it, and the attacker said they will do it again.5 Another clear-cut situation is one where officers know an assault is currently happening, but do nothing about it.6 Obviously in most cases it is not that straight-forward. Oftentimes, as you mentioned, the risk is more about the type of person that the attacker is, or that the potential victims are. Courts have recognized that factors like being transgender,7 (California Court of Appeals, 2008) (“the most important consideration in establishing duty is foreseeability”). 5. Santiago v. Walls, 599 F.3d 749 (7th Cir. 2010) (prison failed to protect when the person was assaulted by the same cellmate twice). 6. See, e.g., Starr v. Baca, 652 F.3d 1202 (9th Cir. 2011) (officers failed to intervene and even participated in the assault). 7. See, e.g., Farmer v. Brennan, footnote 2; Giraldo v. CDCR, footnote 3; Greene v. Bowles, 361 F.3d 290 (6th Cir. 2004); Powell v. Schriver, 175 F.3d 107 (2d Cir. 1999); see also Norsworthy v. Beard, 87 F. Supp. 3d 1164 (ND Cal. 2015) (trans woman in a women’s facility also at risk); Adkins v. City of New York, 143 F. Supp. 3d 134 (SDNY 2015) (trans man held among cis men).
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or small, or young,8 or disabled,9 or HIV-positive,10 or convicted of a sex offense11 may increase a person’s risk of serious harm in general. Likewise, if the attacker belongs to a group that has an animosity toward a certain race, or toward gay people,12 or if they have attacked people before,13 8. Young v. Quinlan, 960 F.2d 351, 362 (3d Cir 1992) (finding vulnerability based on plaintiff’s “youthful appearance and slight stature”). 9. S. Harrell, A. Hastings, M. diZerega, “Making PREA and Victim Services Accessible for Incarcerated People with Disabilities,” National PREA Resource Center (Oct. 2015), https://www.vera.org/downloads/ publications/prea-victim-servicesincarcerated-people-disabilitiesguide.pdf. The PREA Standards, 28 CFR Sec. 115.16 (prisons and jails)/115.116 (lockups)/115.216 (community confinement)/115.316 (juvenile) requires correctional agencies take steps to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunity to participate in/benefit from PREA implementation, as well as people who do not speak English. 10. See, e.g., Powell v. Schriver, footnote 4. 11. Weiss v. Cooley, 230 F.3d 1027 (7th Cir. 2000) (prison should have known the person was in danger when they were convicted of a very publicized rape). 12. Brown v. Budz, 398 F.3d 904 (7th Cir 2005) (prison failed to protect when the attacker had a history of violently attacking white people and was not kept separate from white people); Young v. Selk, 508 F.3d 868 (8th Cir. 2007) (similar facts). 13. Billman v. Ind. Dep’t of Corrections, 56 F.3d 785 (7th Cir.
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that may also establish that the prison had an obligation to keep that person separated from people they may be likely to attack. Rather than try to manage the competing interests of many individuals in housing safety, often prisons end up just putting people in solitary confinement. While the PREA guidelines state that solitary confinement should be a last resort,14 in practice it is quite common. When folks are being put in solitary confinement, the prison must provide you notice of the decision and an opportunity to respond, the decision must be based on evidence that you can respond to, and safety and security concerns should be weighed as part of the decision.15 You also must have regular, meaningful reviews of your classification.16 Prisons also should not use security as a blanket justification to 1995) (prison was deliberately indifferent by celling plaintiff with someone who was HIV+ and had sexually assaulted multiple cellmates before). 14. 28 CFR 115.43/215.143/115.243/115.343. 15. Estate of DiMarco v. Wy Dep’t of Corrections, 473 F.3d 1334 (10th Cir. 2007). 16. Stallings v. Werholtz, 492 Fed. App’x 841 (10th Cir. 2012); see also Bailey v. Hobbs, No. 5:11CV00031JLH, 2012 WL 3038856 (E.D. Ark. July 25, 2012) (review was not meaningful where even though they were happening every 30 days, it took over two years to release the person after their PREA status was changed).
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racially segregate prisoners, or to house LGBTQIA2S+ prisoners separately.17 These legal standards are important to keep in mind when you are filing grievances, defending yourself against discipline, and advocating for yourself to classification officers. The prison is required to consider your perspective on what housing is safe for you, especially for transgender and intersex folks.18 If you already know you want to be housed with a fellow trans woman or with someone else who is vulnerable, it’s good to tell classification officers that--even to suggest a specific roommate if you have one in mind. It’s also useful to share this information with other folks. Prisons know what the legal standard is that they are supposed to follow, and when people are generally educated about their rights and ask for them regularly, it can 17. Johnson v. California, 543 US 499 (2005) (racial segregation must be “narrowly tailored to a compelling government objective”). The PREA standards prohibit placing LGBTI inmates in dedicated units or wings based only on their sexual orientation or gender identity (28 CFR 115.42(g)), unless such placement is in a dedicated unit or wing established in connection with a consent decree, legal settlement, or legal judgment for the purpose of protection. 18. PREA standards specifically require that transgender and intersex inmates be given special protections related to housing ( 28 CFR 115.42(c)), program placement (115.42(d)), and showering and patdown searches (115.42(f)).
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force the prison to get their act together. Thanks again for your question, CP. For others reading this, if you’re an LGBTQIA2S+ or HIV+ prisoner or immigration detainee with an issue related to housing, safety, disciplinary tickets, or other legal or advocacy needs, feel free to reach out to us at ADVOCACY REQUEST, 6223 Maple Street #4600, Omaha, NE, 68104. If you would like to submit a question to this column, please make sure to mention that clearly in your letter! Care and solidarity, Aaron El Sabrout
Volume 12, Issue 4
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A Pop Culture Update: Musician Lil Nas X Takes Newest Music Video Behind Bars
By Ky Peterson So, here are my thoughts on Montero Lamar Hill, also known As Lil Nas X. He is only 22 years old and from Lithia Springs, Georgia. He has won two Grammys, two MTV Video Music Awards, and an AMA award. He is a multi-platinum selling artist. Personally I like his music and his attitude. He is a guy that is unapologetically gay and he just lets everyone see him the way that he is. In my opinion he is brilliant. In 2019 on June 30 he came out as gay which was the last day of Pride Month. Like who does that? Oh yeah Lil Nas X. He has a way of just saying whatever is on his mind and not caring how people feel about it. Which I think is great. If we go through life worrying about what other people think of us or who we are, we will never reach our full potential.
I have watched his new “Industry Baby” music video several times now and I still don’t know most of what he is saying. The opening is a court scene and Lil Nas X is being sentenced to five years in Montero State Prison. The video cuts to three months later where he is in his cell (wearing pink bottoms, a grill and earrings) Wow really? He’s getting a … I guess you could call it a lap dance by a guy in a handstand. They are all wearing pink. He has two Grammys, a plaque, and a poster of him kissing the guy from the award show on his cell wall. This is very entertaining but so far from what it is actually like inside the prison system. To top it off, he is laying on the single bunk with a guy twerking over his head while he is throwing money (hundred dollar bills to be exact). Then they are walking down a hallway. There
is this crazy shower scene and everyone is naked and dancing. This is fun to watch but again far from reality. I have been to prison and no one was dancing in the shower; we would all try to get our shower and get out of there. Then in another scene, Jack Harlow, another rapper featured on the song, is in his cell with an officer; she is half dressed. When he goes to walk down the hallway, it happens to be flooded with people. Now you are probably wondering why so many people are in the hallway. Well, Lil Nas X pulled the alarm in the control. Jack was then put in the electric chair with Lil Nas X pulling the switch but he didn’t die. Then the video cuts to them turning donuts in a cop car in the prison yard. This is followed by another dance scene in the yard with the lights flashing. By the end of the video,
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Jack is driving a prison bus out of the prison with Nas X on top of the bus. After the twerk off in the shower there is a scene that looks like a visitation room and you have guys in the back twerking while he says “You was never really rooting for me anyway. When I’m back up at the top, I wanna hear you say. He don’t run from nothin’, dog.” Then there is a yard scene where one guy is lifting weight, some other guys are posted up on the wall, a few working out and one guy hitting the bag. Like the video itself is very entertaining; he even used a scene from Shawshank Redemption by breaking out through his wall. But you have to see the video to really appreciate the scene and the rest of the video. At one point he says that He “ain’t fall off he just aint released his new s**t I blew up now everybody trying to sue me” and then in another line he says he don’t fu*k bi**hes he’s queer. He just snapped; he even mentions how people want to sue him. It’s like he doesn’t have a filter and whatever comes up, comes out if he is going through something then he finds a way to expose those who have beef with him. Wow, that video is just insane. The picture it paints is entertaining but not a reality for people on the inside. Lil Nas X is one of those entertainers that is just so unpredictable. I mean in the “Montero” video, he gave the devil a lap dance. There
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were a lot of visual effects in the video but overall I think the message was not heard by some people. And those same people bashed him on social media and he made comments back. But it’s just one of those things that the young artist is dealing with. He continues to say that people don’t have a problem with him being gay; they actually have a problem with him being gay and still succeeding. There’s just a whole lot going on in this young guy’s life. I know from being in prison that it is nothing like what he is portraying in this video but it is still fun to watch. I can’t be mad at him for making this video and painting this picture of prison. But what I can do is say that it is not the way that he is showing it. Prison is more of a dog-eatdog world where you just have to learn to protect yourself and not trust anyone in order to make it out alive. But back to the video now. There is a lot of controversy surrounding “Industry Baby.” The critics claim that he is not fighting for gay rights but instead he is marketing sexual irresponsibility which is causing young men to die from AIDS. Lil Nas X clapped back by saying “y’all be silent as hell when n***as dedicate their entire music catalogue to rapping about sleeping with multiple women but when I do anything remotely sexual, I’m being sexual irresponsible & causing more men to die from AIDS. Y’all hate gay people and don’t hide it.” I think he answered back to that the right way. Once again in the
headlines, he brushed off the criticism with a bit of humor, asking his twitter followers, “Why y’all get mad at me so easily? All I’ve done was be a bad b***h.” The guy is an entertainer and that is what he does. So, why hate him for being himself and having fun while entertaining us? I see a lot of posts by him on Twitter and it’s almost like the negative he receives from people just powers him up to do more and it’s just great. He takes all of the junk and turns it into something else. He posted the “Industry Baby” video on YouTube on July 23 and it already has 26 million views and he has raised over $41,733.00 for The Bail Project for cash bails in America. It’s like he just won’t stop and his music is on point. It has that chill vibe to it. He just has a way of letting people know what’s really going on. There is a lot that could be said about him and his music but I chose to only speak positively about him and his work. The young guy has already been through so much since his rise to fame and he just continues to move forward. Keep moving and shining young brother. Writing you in Solidarity and Love, Ky Peterson
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Another Take on Lil Nas X
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By Lorenzo Rulli Hello, I do not share a popular opinion of Lil Nas X’s video for “Industry Baby.” It’s a video surrounded by lies and inappropriate content. Jail for queer people is dangerous and especially dangerous if you can’t pass as straight. People are getting raped and assaulted for being queer in jail. They are targeted by guards and set up by the same guards simply because they are gay or trans. Lil Nas X made a video glorifying what jail is like when he himself has never been to jail to feel
the hate that exist behind those bars. Queer folks in jail have to face so much that he didn’t include in the video. He made queerness seem accepted and it just isn’t. Most importantly I feel he is not aware of the suffering that takes place in jail when you are queer. He unintentionally I’m sure decided to create a video about a system that is set against Black LGBTQIA+ folks.
for my sexuality anyway. I was made fun of and picked on by guards and inmates alike. A trans woman was called a man and made fun of in my neighboring cell. I don’t think Lil Nas X meant or means to be ignorant but the video and visual to me are all inappropriate.
I was in jail terrified that if I was clocked as gay I’d be harmed or bullied. In the end it didn’t matter because I was targeted
image courtesy of Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow “Industry Baby”
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A Celebration of Black Women: A Spotlight on Black & Pink’s Own Jasmine Tasaki Jasmine Tasaki is a staunch advocate and community organizer for transgender women and issues affecting trans rights, health, and housing. Through her work, intersectionality has become very important to her. Jasmine has worked as a PrEP navigator, an HIV counselor, Sexual Health Educator, and Cultural Competency Facilitator for the Memphis Police Department. She was also the first leader of trans experience in the Memphis Urban League of Young
Professionals (Health Literacy and Advocacy Chairperson), and an ambassador for the Black AIDS Institute. Ms. Tasaki is also the founder and executive director of the first trans-led organization, WeCareTN, in Memphis. Ms. Tasaki is also the Director of advocacy at Black and Pink, where she supports many areas. She is a support for the Black and Pink Chapters, The National LGBTQ/PLHIV Criminal Justice Working Group, Black and Pink Advisory council, and Inside member program.
She works closely with the community to meet the needs identified by the community. She has been featured on the cover of Focus Magazine, and features on different platforms for her advocacy and service provision work. She really wishes to bring even more attention to the needs of the community. Jasmine believes that “support is the foundation you stand on, values are the directions you walk by, and relationships is the garden in which you grow.”
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By Brooke Monaco, Black & Pink Wellness Coordinator Legs up the wall is the unicorn pose of all postures, with it being deeply restorative, powerful and therapeutic all at once with minimal effort and props. It only requires 5-20 minutes to bring the body into total relaxation and renewal mode. This pose gives the most relief at the end of the day. Legs up the wall posture is just as easy as it sounds! The props
needed are just a wall and if desired, a blanket but that is not required. To come into this pose, sit sideways next to the wall and slowly start to lower your back to the floor. As you do so, start to swing or walk your legs up the wall, while gently bringing your shoulders and head to the floor. Your sit bones do not need to be right up against the wall; the tightness of your hamstrings will let you know how close or far away from the wall you need to start. Experiment with what position brings your body into comfort & ease. With the lower back grounded to the floor, draw the shoulder blades away from each other, letting your arms fall to the side, palms facing up. If elevation is preferred, give the hips some height
by simply folding a blanket as many times as needed and placing it under your hips. Once comfortable, it is recommended to enhance the experience by beginning to find slow and gentle breaths. Try to make the inhales match the exhales to the count of three and become aware of the calmness the pose creates and the stillness of the mind. Benefits of Legs Up the Wall: • Helps move stagnant or stuck lymphatic drainage and increases circulation. • Improves digestion • Calms the nervous system • Gently stretches the back, neck and hamstrings • Provides migraine and headache relief Generally, legs up the wall is safe for most individuals, those who are pregnant, have been diagnosed with glaucoma, high blood pressure, or any serious problems with the neck or spine should consult their doctor first.
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The Gates of Freedom: An Edited Speech Given by Angela Davis Transcription courtesy of Almeida Theatre, image courtesy of CSUN Library It has been said many times that one can learn a great deal about a society by looking towards its prisons. Look towards its dungeons and there you will see in concentrated and microcosmic form the sickness of the entire system. And today there is something that is particularly revealing about the analogy between the prison and the larger society of which it is a reflection. For in a painfully real sense we are all prisoners of a society whose bombastic proclamations of freedom and justice for all are nothing but meaningless rhetoric. In this society, today, we are surrounded by the very wealth and the scientific achievements which hold forth a promise of freedom. Freedom is so near, yet at the same time it is so far away. And this thought invokes in me the same sensation I felt as I reflected on my own condition in a jail. For from my cell I could look down upon the crowded streets of Greenwich Village, almost tasting the freedom of movement and the freedom of space which had been taken from me and all my sisters in captivity.
Our condition here and now – the condition of all of us who are brown and Black and working women and men – bears a very striking similarity to the condition of the prisoner. The wealth and the technology around us tells us that a free, humane, harmonious society lies very near. But at the same time it is so far away because someone is holding the keys and that someone refuses to open the gates to freedom. Like the prisoner we are locked up with the ugliness of racism and poverty and war and all the attendant mental frustrations and manipulations.
We’re also locked up with our dreams and visions of freedom, and with the knowledge that if we only had the keys – if we could only seize them from the keepers, from the Standard Oils, the General Motors and all the giant corporations, and of course from their protectors, the government – if we could only get our hands on those keys we could transform these visions and these dreams into reality. Our situation bears a very excruciating similarity to the situation of the prisoner, and we must never forget this. For if we do, we will lose our desire for freedom and our will to struggle for liberation. Listen for a moment to George Jackson’s description of life in Soledad Prison’s O-Wing: “This place destroys the logical processes of the mind. A man’s thoughts become completely disorganised. The noise, madness streaming from every throat, frustrated sounds from the bars, metallic sounds from the walls, the steel trays, the iron beds bolted to the wall, the hollow sounds from a cast iron sink, a toilet, the smells,
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the human waste thrown at us, unwashed bodies, the rotten food. Relief is so distant that it is very easy to lose hope. And the guards with the carbines, and their sticks and tear gas are there to preserve this terror, to preserve it at any cost.” The terror of life in prison. The sociopolitical function of prisons today is about a self-perpetuating system of terror. For prisons are political weapons; they function as means of containing elements in this society which threaten the stability of the larger system. In prisons, people who are actually or potentially disruptive of the status quo are confined, contained, punished, and in some cases, forced to undergo psychological treatment by mind-altering drugs. This is happening. The prison system is a weapon of repression. The government views young Black and brown people as actually and potentially the most rebellious elements of this society. And thus the jails and prisons of this society are overflowing with young people of color. Anyone who has seen the streets of ghettos can already understand how easily a sister or a brother can fall victim to the police who are always there en masse. Tens of thousands of prisoners have never been convicted of any crime; they’re simply there, victims – they’re there under the control of insensitive, incompetent, and often blatantly
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racist public defenders who insist that they plead guilty even though they know that their client is just as innocent as they are. And for those who have committed a crime, we have to seek out the root cause. And we seek this cause not in them as individuals, but in the capitalist system that produces the need for crime in the first place.
crime, through narcotics or prostitution, they are caught in a vicious circle.
As one student of the prisons system has said, “The materially hungry must steal to survive, and the spiritually hungry commit anti-social acts because their human needs cannot be met in a property-oriented state. It is a fair estimate,” he goes on to say, “that somewhere around 90% of the crimes committed would not be considered crimes or would not occur in a peopleoriented society.”
As I was saved and freed by the people so we must save and free these beautiful, struggling brothers and sisters. We must save them. And all of our sisters and brothers who must live with and struggle together against the terrible realities of captivity.
A prisoner who had taken part in The Tombs rebellion in New York gave the following answers to questions put to him by a newsreader. “Question: What is your name? Answer: I am a revolutionary. Question: What are you charged with? Answer: I was born Black. Question: How long have you been in? Answer: I’ve had trouble since the day I was born.” Once our sisters and brothers are entrapped inside these massive medieval fortresses and dungeons whether for nothing at all, or whether for frame-up political charges, whether for trying to escape their misery through a petty property
George Jackson was murdered by mindless, carbine-toting San Quentin guards because he refused, he resisted, and he helped to teach his fellow prisoners that there was hope through struggle.
My freedom was achieved as the outcome of a massive, a massive people’s struggle. Young people and older people, Black, brown, Asian, Native American and white people, students and workers. The people seized the keys which opened the gates to freedom. And we’ve just begun. The momentum of this movement must be sustained, and it must be increased. Let us try to seize more keys and open more gates and bring out more sisters and brothers so that they can join the ranks of our struggle out here.
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Black & Pink News
Disability Discrimination Self-Advocacy Guide for Inside Members Introduction
Know Your Rights
“Ableism is connected to all our struggles because it undergirds notions of whose
What laws should I know?
bodies are considered valuable, desirable,
The ADA is The Americans with Disabilities
and disposable.” – Mia Mingus
Act. A federal law that prohibits discrimination against disabled people.
While many of us were taught that disability is a dirty word, a topic we should
Section 504 is a law, using all of the same
dance around, disability rights is something
definitions as the ADA, applying specifically
we all need to be aware of. For those of us
to federally run or funded programs. 1 This
who are disabled (and there are far more
applies to all prisons in the United States. 2
than you may think), discrimination can be a factor of daily life. For those of us who
“No otherwise qualified individual with a
aren’t (or believe we aren’t) disabled, we
disability in the United States… shall, solely
need to acknowledge that any day we could
by reason of [their] disability, be excluded
become ill or injured. Disability
from participation in, be denied the benefits
discrimination, in all its forms, is
of, or be subjected to discrimination under
unacceptable, and it’s our responsibility to
any program or activity receiving federal
assert our own rights.
financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by an executive agency.” – Section 504
Am I disabled? 29 U.S.C. 794. Pennsylvania Department of Corrections et. al., v. Yeskey, 118 S.Ct. 1952 (1998). Black & Pink | Disability Discrimination Self-Advocacy Guide Page 1 of 6 Updated July 19, 2021. 1 2
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“And let us make mankind in Our image and likeness.” These words are recorded in the book of Genesis as a reference to God’s thought, intent, and declaration concerning the formation of mankind. God forms mankind in a way that is more intimate than the way in which the rest of the world is formed. Everything else we read about being created in the creation story was spoken into existence. When it came to mankind, God is recorded as reaching into the dirt and forming what we call man. The task given to mankind was to have dominion (rulership, leadership, extension of the power, presence, influence, and culture of God) in the earth. The creation formed with heavenly hands was identified as man. Man required some degree of partnership and relationship and that partnership/ relationship created for man was pulled from within man. The Bible advises that a deep sleep came over Adam, a rib was removed, and woman was formed from the rib of a man. Regardless of whether one
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subscribes to this version of creative history or not, there are principles that can be drawn. Divine realities are revealed here to me: 1) God is creator of all. 2) God’s original creation of mankind was a being whose gender identity could be questioned as being outside of the binary we have traditionally been taught. Man had woman within him and woman, in her created form, had man within her as the foundation of her created being was the rib of man. That sounds queer to me. That sounds gender expansive to me. 3) That which was made was declared as “good” and as the image and likeness of God. All this amounts to the reality that the world is created by God, including you. That applies to the heterosexual, the lesbian, the gay, the bisexual, the transgender, the queer, the intersex, the asexual, the two spirit, and so on. While our western world would suggest to us that gender is rigidly binary, places in South Asia, Northern Nigeria, Mexico, Samoa, Tonga, Hawaii, Albania, Thailand, Africa, tribes
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within the Indigenous (Native American) population and many others would beg to differ. They acknowledge gender-expansive identities in their societies. And these identities, these persons, you – are created in the image and likeness of the Divine. Your queerness does not exclude you from that reality. It was after the forming by God that mankind was breathed into with the breath of life, with Spirit, and hence mankind became a living being. Breath brought life. Breath was Spirit. Breath was life. Take a deep breath. You have life. You have Spirit. You are life. You are light. You are divine. You are powerful. You are gifted. You are needed. You are glorious. You are divine. During this time where we celebrate our queerness and the strength and struggles of our queer ancestors, may your very breath be a reminder of your divinity. Take Pride in your divinity. Dance about it. Sing about it. Write about it. Draw it. Share it. Live it.
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Black women punished for self-defense must be freed from their cages By Mariame Kaba, courtesy of The Guardian first published January 13, 2019 content warning: racism, sexual assault On 23 June 1855, after enduring five years of sexual violence, Celia, a 19-year-old Missouri enslaved woman, killed her master, Robert Newsom. Newsom was a 60-year-old widower who had purchased Celia when she was 14. On the day of her purchase, he raped her on the way to his farm. Sexual control of enslaved women by white owners was critical to the perpetuation of slavery, and these owners relied on routine sexual abuse as much as they did other forms of brutality. By the time she killed Newsom, Celia already had two of his children and was pregnant with a third. She had started a relationship with one of Newsom’s male slaves, George, who insisted that she end her sexual “relationship” with Newsom if they were going to continue theirs. Celia approached Newsom’s daughters and implored them to ask their father to end the sexual assaults. But no one could protect her, so she confronted Newsom herself when he came to force yet another unwanted sexual encounter. She clubbed him to death, then burned his body in her fireplace.
Her court-appointed lawyers suggested that a Missouri law permitting a woman to use deadly force to defend herself against sexual advances be extended to enslaved as well as free women. Despite their vigorous defense, the court disagreed: it found that Celia was property, not a person. But, while Celia was not considered a person under the law and could therefore not be raped, she did have enough agency to be judged a murderess and punished for her act of resistance. She was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by hanging. After an appeal of the case failed, Celia was hanged on 21 December 1855. Black women have always been vulnerable to violence in this country and have long been judged as having “no selves to defend” – a term I devised and named an anthology on the subject after. When Ida B Wells began her anti-lynching and anti-rape campaigns a few decades after Celia was hanged, in the late 19th century, she was determined to expose the myths that Black men were rapists and that Black women could not be raped. Wells insisted that Black women were entitled to state protection – and the recourse of self-defense – as a right of citizenship. In 2018, this right
still proves elusive. What has changed since Celia’s time? Ask Marissa Alexander. In late January 2017, Alexander was freed from the shackles of her ankle monitor after two years of house arrest and three years of incarceration. Her freedom was secured through good lawyering and a national participatory legal defense organizing campaign. Alexander’s tortuous journey through the criminal punishment system began in 2010, when she was confronted by her estranged husband in her home after having just given birth to her third child, a little girl, nine days earlier. Alexander used a gun that she was licensed to own and fired a single warning shot into the air to ward off her abusive husband, who admitted in a subsequent deposition to having abused every woman he had ever been partnered with (except for one). For this, a jury found her guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following a 12-minute deliberation. It was that deadly weapon charge that prosecutors used to recommend that Marissa be sentenced under Florida’s 10-20 law to a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years. The judge, who had
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previously ruled that Marissa was ineligible to invoke the “stand your ground” defense because she didn’t appear afraid, said that his hands were tied by the law and ratified the 20-year sentence. While self-defense laws are interpreted generously when applied to white men who feel threatened by men of color, they are applied very narrowly to women and gender non-conforming people, and particularly women and gender non-conforming people of color trying to protect themselves in domestic violence and sexual assault cases. Black women have been excluded from definitions of “respectable” and/or “proper” womanhood, sexuality and beauty, influencing how their right to bodily autonomy – and agency – is viewed. In 2017, there were 219,000 women in US prisons and jails, most of them poor and of color. In 2014, according to the Sentencing Project, black non-Hispanic females had an imprisonment rate over twice that of white non-Hispanic females. Sociologist Beth Richie has suggested that a key to responding to women in conflict with the law is understanding their status as crime victims. Multiple studies indicate that between 71% and 95% of incarcerated women have experienced physical violence from an intimate partner. In addition, many have experienced multiple forms of physical and sexual abuse in childhood and
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as adults. This reality has been termed the “abuse-to-prison” pipeline. These numbers are high because survivors are systematically punished for taking action to protect themselves and their children while living in unstable and dangerous conditions. Survivors are criminalized for self-defense, failing to control abusers’ violence, migration, removing their children from situations of abuse, being coerced into criminalized activity and securing resources needed to live day to day while suffering economic abuse. Three years ago, I co-founded an organization called Survived and Punished (S&P). Our work focuses on freeing criminalized survivors of gender-based violence. Too many women and gender nonconforming people are in prison for defending themselves against their abusers, and we are demanding that Governors Jerry Brown and Andrew Cuomo use their clemency powers to free these survivors from their cages. As Dr Alisa Bierria, a co-founder of S&P, suggests: “Our political strategies must recognize that racialized gender violence and state violence are not isolated or oppositional, but integral to each other.” We are determined to ensure that more people understand these connections. On 6 December, the Tennessee supreme court issued its decision stating that Cyntoia Brown, who was sentenced to life in prison at the age of 16 for killing a man who had
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picked her up for sex in selfdefense, must serve at least 51 years before becoming eligible for parole. People across the US were once again outraged as her case returned to public attention, and some have been moved to demand that the governor, Bill Haslam, commute her sentence before he leaves office on 19 January 2019. The governor is said to be considering clemency in her case, which is, unfortunately, not an exceptional one. There are thousands of Cyntoia Browns unjustly locked in cages in every state. We have to address the systemic and cultural issues that contribute to the criminalization of survival as we work to #FreeCyntoia and all of the others currently behind bars. One hundred and sixty-five years ago Celia was killed for defending her bodily autonomy. Cyntoia Brown shouldn’t die in prison for doing the same.
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Help Select the Winners of Our Lydon House Drawing Contest We’ve received lots and lots of entries for our Lydon House Drawing Contest. Each entry was lovely and it was very difficult for us to narrow down our choices to 10 finalists. The 10 images following are some of the best drawings we received for the competition. Each will receive a stipend for their labor.
images and take some time to pick one favorite. When you’ve decided, turn to page 28 and fill out the ballot available there. Each ballot can only contain one vote or it won’t count so please be mindful! We will tally all votes and announce a winner in an upcoming issue!
For those waiting for information on our newsletter name contest: we will be following up with additional information in a coming issue. We’re so grateful for your patience as we work through an incredible amount of mail from all of you.
Now it’s your turn to pick your favorite picture! Check out all 10
Drawing #1 Tara L. (TX)
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Lydon House Contest Entries Drawing #2
Desiree G. (OK)
Drawing #3
- Mark B. (SC)
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Lydon House Contest Entries Drawing #4 Tony B. (NV)
Drawing #5 Casey D. B. (CA)
-
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Lydon House Contest Entries
Drawing #6 Cedric E. (TX)
Drawing #7 Kendall S. (TX)
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Lydon House Contest Entries
Drawing #8
- Anthony P. (TX)
Drawing #9 Jamal M. (FL)
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Lydon House Contest Entries Drawing #10 Mark H.
NEWSLETTER CONTEST BALLOT Select your favorite Lydon House drawing on the preceding pages and write the corresponding number on the form below. Cut or rip out this ballot and send to: Black & Pink - Contest, 6223 Maple St. #4600, Omaha, NE 68104 Those who vote more than once or do not address their envelopes to “Contest” will not be counted.
Your Name ___________________________________ Lydon House Drawing Number ________________________
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Passing an Abolitionist Amendment Hi folks,
Dear friends,
Below is a message from Just Leadership USA and Worth Rises about the End the Exception Campaign. As part of our work, Black & Pink is in a coalition with them to pass the abolition amendment and restore incarcerated folks’ labor rights. This would require a constitutional amendment, as the letter describes. This is a long-term and long-range project that would have huge effects for incarcerated folks across the country.
Many of you know firsthand how limited incarcerated folks’ labor rights are. Incarcerated workers do not have the right to organize, and most incarcerated folks do not make minimum wage. Unless you live in a state that has passed its own abolition amendment, most incarcerated folks live under a form of slavery. Many states and major corporations profit off of this system to this day.
The campaign is very interested in uplifting the leadership of incarcerated folks. You folks are on the inside and know better than anyone what labor rights for incarcerated people would mean.. Please think carefully before responding. Participating in this kind of activism may expose you to retaliation, depending on the circumstances of your incarceration. Abolitionist work is as dangerous as it is necessary. Please only participate at the level that feels safe in your circumstances, and feel free to send us or the folks at the campaign (address below) any questions or thoughts you may have about this process. They are still defining what folks’ roles in this campaign will look like and we would love to hear your input on what you want to see. Solidarity forever, Aaron El Sabrout he/him Advocacy Manager B&P National --
The Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution is celebrated for abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude. But as you may know, the Thirteenth Amendment includes an exception clause that allows slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime. During Reconstruction, this exception perpetuated the criminalization, incarceration, and re-enslavement of Black people. And 150 years later, incarcerated and detained people across our country like you are still forced to work for little to no pay under the threat of additional punitive measures, such as the loss of family visits and solitary confinement. It’s time to abolish the evils of slavery and involuntary servitude, once and for all -- and we have a chance to do so. More than 70 national organizations have launched the #EndTheException campaign to pass the Abolition Amendment. Already backed by 32 congressmembers, the amendment simply reads: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude may be imposed as punishment for a crime.” But we cannot win without you: comrades who are currently incarcerated. Your experienceinformed insights are irreplaceable
in this campaign, which is why we have created the Inside Out Organizing working group dedicated to working with directly impacted communities inside and out. We hope you’ll join us! If you’re interested in joining the #EndTheException campaign, please write us back! We would appreciate your answers to the following questions, but also feel free to share any other ideas you have. If others around you want to join, please invite them to write too! Or, you can include their information (name, ID#, and mailing address) in your letter. 1. What work do you do and how do you feel about it? 2. What would you want someone who hasn’t been incarcerated to know about prison slavery? 3. When you read the Abolition Amendment, how does it make you feel? 4. Do you want to be an active member of the campaign? If so, what role do you want to play in the campaign (e.g., spokesperson, organizer, educator, writer, artist, etc.), and why? 5. Do you or others in your facility listen to a regular prison radio show? If so, which one? We can’t wait to hear from you and start changing the world together. In solidarity, Maddy and the rest of the #EndTheException Inside Out Organizing working group 1915 Fulton Street, Unit 563, Brooklyn, NY 11233
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Letters from our Inside Family Hello to all my Black & Pink family around the U.S., I want to let my brothers and sisters in states other than Florida just how corrupt these officers down here truly are. They pay major gang members and Aryan white supremacists in food off the street, booze, or drugs just to beat on us LGBTQs daily. At times, if there’s a group of officers who are bored and feel like beating on one or two of us, they will pick us out at random and beat on us until they get tired. For example, on January 8, 2021, about eight to 10 officers jumped on me just because I’m attracted to transgender women. They broke six of my ribs on my right side, sprained my left wrist, gave me a concussion, gave me five stitches above my left eye, and gave me four more stitches on the top of my head. They broke my left ankle, caused my left eye to swell totally shut, dislocated my left collar bone, and dislocated my right knee. I’m still pissing blood from damaged kidneys. I passed out from the pain while they were still beating on me, and once I woke up, I was in the infirmary hooked up to IVs in the crook of my right arm and in the back of my right hand. Even though that was 24 days ago, I still feel like I got hit by an express train and three Mack trucks. Well, I’ll end for now. Stay safe, all of you.
Love always, your brother, Renee C. (FL)
Dear Black & Pink Family, Hello once again my LGBT+ brothers and sisters. It’s me, Olivia from Texas again. I have some things I’d like to address. If someone says you can’t have sexual pleasure after a sex change, they don’t know what they’re talking about. If they can’t accept the fact that you want the full change, then they don’t accept you for the beautiful person you are and wish/want to be. If a man who is in a relationship with a T-Girl can’t accept that she wants the world (not just him) to see her as a TRUE WOMAN by getting the full change, then he’s after her body and not her heart. I have personally left men for telling me they want me to keep this thing between my legs. So, in the end, it comes down to being your, and I mean YOUR, decision if you want the full sex change. Don’t let other people dictate your life or your decisions. NO ONE else but you can ever understand your wants, desires and needs better than you yourself. I also wanted to let everyone know that my stepdad lost his battle with cancer. I’m torn to pieces right now. I never had a father figure in my life, and
my own mother doesn’t want anything to do with me. You guys are the only family I have left other than my baby, who is also here. I can’t wait until I’m reunited with my baby once again. And to the LGBT+ Family… keep your heads held high, whether you’re lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, intersex, asexual or simply a super freak, we are who we are, and WE ARE BEAUTIFUL! Do take care, until next time. Your family, Olivia (TX)
A Death Sentenced of a Day at a Time I have found we should not do good deeds to get a reward, but I don’t think that’s possible, because the reward is in the deed. When I do something good for someone else, I am immediately rewarded by a feeling of good inside myself. No other reward is necessary. Karma is an interesting thing, when you finally get it balanced, your rewards are instant. Whenever I talk about the worst things that ever happened to me, I am always given a gift by the universe. I was asked recently by a kind and thoughtful person if there was any way to avoid the bad
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retraumatization that has been done to you. I believe the answer is no, because your past is like your a**, it follows you wherever you go. You can’t get away from it. The trick is to learn to sit comfortably on it! And you always have a choice, even when it doesn’t seem like there is one. In prison, when they bring your food tray to you in solitary confinement, you get to choose whether to eat what’s on the tray. You also get to choose whether to spend your days in fear, anger and frustration or to create an atmosphere of positivity, possibility, healing and inner peace. The tools I have used and truly recommend are meditation and prayer — it builds the mind! I learned these things while in solitary confinement, facing a death sentence of a day at a time, coming to terms with the true possibility of my own death. Meditation and prayer have saved my life — literally! I get asked a lot, “How do you spend your time in prison?” My answer is, people who make good use of their time in prison do better. I think it’s because they have taken charge of their lives and done something positive, something to grow and improve themselves. In my mind, if you can breathe, you can do it! And if you can’t breathe, it’s not too late to start. Even if you are in solitary
confinement, you can still become the best person that you can be. The only limitations you have are within your very own mind, and in reality, there are no limitations. Choosing a positive path for yourself contributes to the positive energy in the world. What matters is the energy that you put into yourself and the energy you put out. You start by looking in the mirror and giving yourself a smile and a wink. And don’t let the prison system engulf your mind, brothers and sisters! Because today is all you have, so make the most of it, it may be the last one. - Gerry R. (MO)
Hello B&P family, I am writing to you all, praying for us all in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. We should also be celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court victory for us who are trans, although we were not given “full protection” under the U.S. Constitution, it was a matter of winning the battle. Now, we must continue with the war. I recently found out that my fiancé has been creeping around at a correctional facility (sips tea.) I feel so stupid because I legally changed my name, he told me if I took his last name that would prove to him my loyalty, so I did. I was so worried
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about providing my loyalty, I should have been worried about him proving his loyalty to me. He spread so many rumors about me, that I “painted him,” that “every time we had %$# we used gloves, saran wrap,” and that I was his “prostitute.” Then he slept with two of my enemies. So, I constantly ask myself, “Girl, what the hell is wrong with you?” The answer to my own question? My therapist told me, “You seem to always play the role of the ‘traumatized rescuer’ where you want to save everyone who you come in contact with.” I was (probably still am) going to marry this man while in prison. The first transgender and bisexual wedding ceremony conducted in prison in the state of Oklahoma (inmate-to-inmate). The prison’s head agency chaplain approved, but I don’t know if I want to go through with this. I love him, I forgive him, but a part of me says “leave.” But I want him to know I am not like the “cisgender” woman he has been with. That I will 100% not give up on him or us. Well, I’ve taken up enough of y’all’s time. I wish you all the best and pray you all are blessed. Pray for us at JuHoCoCo. <3 - Marilyn P. (OK)
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‘I believe our work will be unfinished until not one human being is hungry or battered, not a single person is forced to die in war, not one innocent languishes imprisoned, and no one is persecuted for his or her beliefs.’ - Leonard Peltier, American Indian Movement (AIM) warrior. He is imprisoned for the 1975 shoot-out between the FBI and AIM in which two federal agents and an indigenous man were killed. Four years after his imprisonment, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request released documents which prove Leonard Peltier’s innocence and the FBI’s targeting him. And still, Peltier remains imprisoned. whoisleonardpeltier.info
Letters from our Inside Family content warning: sexual assault, suicide Death Row Awaits From somewhere within the inner chamber of my being, a charge proceeded, the semblance of military force, with the use of battering ram to break down the gates of my lips with a sob, to produce a flood to stream down my face tearfully. Along life’s journey, I lost concern about life; its value. I would not only suffer the consequences of the lost, but I would also suffer the consequences of my actions. Before my feet would caress the plush carpet of the courtroom, I had been found guilty of my crimes and sentenced to death by one of the arresting officers as I sat handcuffed in the back of the police vehicle. His adjudication was unnecessary as I had operated as my own judge, jailer, and jury. “It’s over!” I proclaimed. The stark realization of my situation waited not for my mind to contemplate the end results. Death row awaits! Aimlessly through life, I’ve traveled, accompanied by perpetual thoughts of suicide. I hated life as I concluded that it is accompanied by perpetual suffering. Because of my many failures, I was afraid I would fail at committing suicide, leaving me to travel life’s journey to bare the ugly scar of my failed attempt.
Apprehension had opened the doors to my pity party. Arrested on December 20, 1984, for arm robbery, burglary, kidnapping, attempted capital murder, and capital murder. Mitigating circumstances had the potential to reduce the culpability associated with the crime. The finger of blame can easily point toward the atrocities I’ve endured. My mother abandoned me when I was six weeks old. My father chose prison over me, and his return to freedom’s light required me to suffer the physical abuse of stepbrothers, simply because I desired the attention of my father. Eventually, one of my stepbrothers commenced to touch me — sexually! — in the middle of the night when I was eight years old. I turned to running away from home to alleviate the suffering when I was nine years old. Iniquitous darkness penetrated my soul when I was ten years old. Deception coerced me into reliance, which resulted in molestation. The man raped me in broad daylight in a Dallas drainage ditch. I had determined that I had been dealt the dirty hand of life. Encumbered by the weight of all I had endured manifested itself in my behavior and attitude, leaving my aunt to consider that I was borderline insane. I had treaded the troubled waters of incarceration on numerous
occasions, which commenced when I was twelve. The first psychologist, a pedophile, was more concerned about his desire for me to join him in his perversion. That was the first and last time I visited him. My aunt’s concerns about my psychological improprieties continued to mount, emanating from my behavior. Therefore, she sought me to visit a mental health center. By this time, I was thirteen, but I had determined that they would only medicate my condition, provided that their prognosis rendered me mentally unstable. Although I stopped going, they considered me a special case. That could only conclude that medication was on their agenda. Well, I was content with the medication I prescribed myself; street drugs and alcohol. Under the influence, I could flow in what I desired to be without concern of anyone knowing the wiser. A fictitious character, I sought to create in the image of what I desired to be, to eventually discover that I was living under not only my self-prescription of drugs and alcohol, but the prescription of what others prescribed for me to live by. “Who am I?” The question crashed into my fictitious world — I lost my way toward who I could be to what I had become out of the circumstances of life. Inadequate. A nobody! “You’ll never amount to anything.” “You’re going to wind up
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in prison!” The prediction, embraced by my mental state, operated as my travel agent to journey to prison. During the month of September, 1985, having concluded that death row awaits, the judge announced, “You’re hereby sentenced to die in the Texas Department of Corrections…” Insanity sought my attention to pursue him with psychiatric drugs to go AWOL, absent without leaving. AWOL would allow me to escape psychologically unhampered, without concerns for being apprehended. But there was nothing I had done, or could do, that would diminish who He is or eradicate His love for me; a love I did not and do not deserve.
I had been under a sentence of death for approximately four to five years, portraying to embrace an attitude of atheism before, mysteriously, a poem landed in my hands to relay the story titled “Footprints.” It was only then that I realized, like the man in the poem, that in the most difficult times of life, the one set of footprints denoted God carrying me through. Although I had not comprehended the magnitude of what God had done and was doing in my life, He prepared me to bear the weight in His strength. I had received an execution date during November of 1991, set for March 20, 1992. Although suicidal, the reality of my death being near escorted a level of fear into my life. “Where am I going?” “Will it entail
much worse atrocities than I’ve endured?” “Will my departure venture me over into a greater punishment?” The punishment, in actuality, I deserve. Although no verbal response was given, a response occurred on the winds of mercy to convey that God’s divine intervention seized the moment; eradicated that which I deserved. A stay of execution ensued, followed by eradicating my death sentence altogether. I entered the general population in January of 1993, but it wasn’t until June of 1997 that I accepted Christ, which could only exemplify the richness of His mercy and manifest the fact that He did indeed have a plan for my life.
Michael L. (VA)
God’s grace would follow to provide me with the blessings I did not deserve, and now, my story; the story God had written, ventured me over into acquiring a college degree after having entered prison a high school drop-out, onto becoming a published author, which arrested the attention of a producer that the story, the one God provided me, became a Netflix
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documentary titled “Something Hideous.” Although I had been required to share the details of the crime I committed, that could only occur emanating from my transformation in the Lord Jesus! Despite all I’ve endured, I point not this finger of blame at any of those things as I, a man in Christ, accept responsibility for my own actions. I’m grateful that God is a forgiving God. I’m presently under a sentence of life, serving in a unit’s ministry. All glory to the Most High God!! His mercy endures forever!!! - Skylar E. (CO)
My Intentions for the New Year! I am a real enlightenment, as a girl that has been in a male body for a long time. I will grow as myself and be the girl with real want of the person of loving, insight as I do in ever was, my heart and mind feel better by the medication I been taking for the past two full years. My whole self feels and shows more realness than I ever felt! This new year I am willing to find a way to have the penis removed from this body, a small bone frame, and become the real person that I should have been in the first place. This is my hope
and pride to do! Also to find the true one of my life. I will learn to let go of the past and ask for forgiveness. I have good reason to do this, with a high understanding of what I have done in the past. It was wrong of me. I will learn to live in a comfortment for my life and feel out any other bad vibes that come my way. By some many of body has changed from hormones shot, as my personality becomes more real and the body is acting more as a girl that should be, plus different parts are showing! What I suppose be, and feel more alive than ever been in my life. As I can see the true ways of myself, doing a great deal, what facing reality in my life. I do have good honest intentions to feel my emotions and also be the full complete person that I should have been! - Michelle (TX)
were born with anger — but many of us respond in impulsive ways. When I speak, I try to remember (which, admittedly, I don’t always make this mark) is what I’m about to say loving, necessary, and honest? (And it must be all three.) That said, this was all greatly challenged on January 6 as I (along with the world) witnessed the horror show out of D.C. Not since 9/11 have I felt such anger, anxiety, and mournfulness. So much triggered me: the confederate flag waved in Statuary Hall; an attempt to subvert the will of the people by interrupting the electoral college vote; and the myriad of comments — laced with an undertow of race/ religious bigotry — by fellow inmates who were almost apoplectic with giddiness at the attempted insurrection.
Hi Black and Pink family!
Tears filled my eyes as I stood there, jaw agape, watching CNN. Finally, I just had to call a friend on the outside before I broke down in tears.
Regardless of the situation in which you find yourselves, i.e. new to prison or about to go home; in the SHU or general pop; older or younger; religious or not; etc., I hope you manage to find a level of personal contentment this year. In times of personal strife, it’s easy to lash out at others. Remember, we have choices. None of us
Hopefully many of you have had the pleasure of visiting our nation’s capital. I have especially fond memories of touring the last and final display of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, the opening of the National Holocaust Museum, and the March on Washington for LGBT rights. Many times, I have been angered or
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Letters and Poetry from our Inside Family disappointed by policies and laws or by politicians’ behaviors. It just further motivated me to volunteer for groups and elections even harder. But never violence — it would not have occurred to me. Walking through Statuary Hall, lobbying our members of Congress (even in times they were of the opposite political party and thus probably not “open” to my views), or watching Inauguration Day on television has always instilled awe and pride in what this country can achieve. I’m also aware, though, that many have been left out of the so-called American dream. Even as a white, middleaged Queer like myself, I have privilege over my Black and brown sisters and brothers. The hatred on display in D.C. (fomented by Trump and his enablers) was not just out of nowhere or from a culmination of four years. Demonization of the “other” has deep roots in our country. I’ll never forget the callto-action I felt after the 1992 Republican National Convention. It was a vitriolic celebration for their version of “family values.” If you weren’t a heterosexual, married Christian (their “type” of Christian), then you weren’t part of their fold. Any of you remember the kerfuffle over the fictional character Murphy Brown and her decision to
become (by choice) a single, unwed mother? Wow, you would have thought that none other thing mattered in the world of those politicians at that time. Of course, by today’s standards, the Dan Quayles and Pat Robertsons of the world from that time almost seem quaint. At the heart of the sxxxshow that has been the crux of Donald’s presidency has probably been race. I’m under no illusion that our new president (with HER by his side — wow, that’s refreshing to write! How is it that Liberia, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, and England, to name but a few, have had female Heads of State before us?!) can cure all these wounds, especially the 500-year-old blood stains of a racist past. But wow, at least a sense of decency and normalcy might return to the most revered office in the world, and with it, perhaps a safer place to openly discuss these and other issues! Here’s to a better four years upcoming, and to all of you who’ve lost loved ones to COVID, my sincerest condolences. Much love and blessings! From a first-time Black and Pink writer, Rolf (MO + AR)
To my siblings in this Black & Pink family, I’m coming at you from the biggest complex in California’s expansive prison system. And like most Americans, we’re bumbling along confused through this pandemic, learning new things about it, then next week, finding out that the s**t we learned was totally wrong. Now, first off, I don’t blame none of these administrators, staff or healthcare officials for their incompetence in dealing with this virus. Our country’s finest scientists are just now coming to grips with what the virus actually is. Plus, I know most of ‘em are walking around just as scared of this bug as I am. I do blame all State officials, administrators, staff and whoever for keeping the prison population so high that no way in hell would we ever be able to social distance six feet. However, that’s not what this submission is about, ‘cause everybody already know that. What this is about is the things we “prisoners” continue to do knowing that this virus is circulating among the pop. Some of us continue to act as if it don’t exist. Remind you of anything or a time in the past? Yeah, the AIDS crisis! Trip, I pay attention, and I take heed to my reality. I stopped
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art by Elizabeth O. courtesy of JustSeeds
shaking hands every year around the time of cold and flu seasons because I know that’s the fastest way to transmit. So, rejecting outreached hands has become a normal thing for me. Yet today, on the yard, I still see people exchanging hugs, daps, handshakes and kisses. They’re still sharing cups, bowls, spoons and every other item that can potentially pass the virus. Peep game, about a week ago, this one wayward brother who I’ve known for several years and thought of as “on his game.” He found his way to a table where I was sitting and eating in the chow hall and calmly sat across from me. When he sat down, he pulled off his face mask, dipped his spoon in his food and stuffed it into his mouth. He chewed a bit, then nonchalantly said, “Cuz, I feel sick.” I can’t lie, if I had a gun, I would’a shot him. I wanted to reach across that table and slap the dog s**t outta this ill-responsible son of a b***h. That impulsive reaction quickly subsided knowing that I have Board in 2023, and ain’t nobody on this earth worth me doing an extra day in this system past the 31 years I will have done by my board date. Wisely, I calmly stood up and told ‘em, “Don’t ever say another word to me.” Then I walked out the chow hall. Listen fam, I hate to be that way, but we’re playing with our lives here, and I don’t care what the administration is saying or doing, I don’t care what the homies are doing. I got to look out for myself and my girl. Even she had to stop and change
some things, or we wouldn’t be together today. My girl was a social butterfly before COVID. Yeah, that was cool then, but soon as this virus hit, I had to sit her down and open her eyes to our new normal. STAY YO *SS IN THE CELL! She didn’t like it at first but did it nonetheless because she like living, and she respect my cell. Anyway fam, please take those steps you know you need to be safe. Don’t ever let your “I don’t wanna hurt their feelings” attitude be the reason you’re lying on that COVID bed trying to catch a breath. If you feeling sick, get medical attention and
don’t go telling yo homies you’re sick, ‘cause they can’t help you. Keep yo mask on, and please keep yo six-foot distance, even if you’re feeling fine, from the people you claim to give a f**k about. Much Love Big Cee (CA)
I fight for those yet to come, For those who face the same obstacles we face today, Obstacles we can teach them to overcome, To teach them so that they can teach others!
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art by Elia, courtesy of JustSeeds We are the LGBT of our lifetime, We are the warriors and soldiers tasked with our fight to be free, We are the liberators of our rights and freedoms, We are the instigators of justice and truth! We are the LGBT of the world! Hello dearest B&P family, It’s me again, that thorn in the state of Arkansas’ ass, or as my future husband calls me, “Mama Bear.” Still here at the ever stingy, ever corrupt facility! First off, I have a heartfelt thing to say. To those who have come out of the prison cell closet,
I know how hard it is. I was trapped in mine ever since I was 14 and didn’t come out of it until I was 36! I can promise you this: once you do, you’ll never regret it. All of us that have come out on our own closets… we are here for you! If you’ve been questioning about an accepting church, I know of one that accepts all of us LGBTQIA+ and most major religions. Write them at: Church of the Larger Fellowship 24 Farnsworth St. Boston, MA, 02210-1409 And if needed, they can also help set you up with a pen pal,
too. I hope this helps you. To those who grew up wanting to dress as the girl they were, I truly feel you. I had to steal my favorite outfits from my cousins or secondhand stores growing up. My uncle caught me once when I was 12, and he stripped me nude in the backyard in late November, sprayed me down with a garden hose that, shortly after, he hit me with, and made me get rid of my favorite sundress that I was wearing. I always felt real when I dressed as the girl I knew I was, and I haven’t felt that way in particular in a long time!
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My advice is to throw caution to the side and declare yourself. I was scared sh*tless when I did so, but by that point, I was so tired of hiding that I couldn’t stand it anymore. But do so while you’re ready, take back your power, and own it! Your extended family is there for you! Now, it’s me asking for help. If anyone can answer this for me, I’ll be forever in your debt. Me and my future husband have been together for almost four years, and each day has been both heaven and hell. Heaven, because he loves me like no other. He’s kind, funny, and caring. He always puts me first and worries about me constantly. But it’s also hell because of the distance between us. I’m here in the ass of America (otherwise known as Arkansas), and he’s up in Massachusetts. That would be bad enough by itself, but on March 7, 2019, our three-year anniversary, I asked him to marry me, to which I got a very emphatic “H*ll yes!” The one thing I didn’t think about was how we were going to marry! We’ve been to our chaplains, and they said that a typical prison is not in our deck of cards. My question is, does anyone out there know of a way around this mountain of a speed bump? With things being the way they are, I won’t be able to parole to his state unless we are wed. I must have family, by marriage or blood, in a state that Arkansas doesn’t have an interstate compact with. Family isn’t an option for us. Can anyone see a way around this and help us?
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Remember mi familia, our will is stronger than their hate if used correctly. Stand together, stand tall, stand proud. Stay strong, stay safe, and always know that you are loved! - Elaine (CA)
An Empty Heart An empty hearty Cold and dark That could not feel Or receive a light of love Homes not of his own As a child in a life of rejection Scars that did not heal In a heart lost to feel Gay gender hidden Behind a mask unknown - Jeff M. (MO)
An old man once told me That love is blind But the love I found in this family Seen beyond the flaw of my past and looked Deepah than my face tattoo and thuggish appeal It didn’t linger when it saw My scar, dread, and war wound, nor Did it blink or think less of me At the thought of my prison prior And multiple felony The love I found in Black & Pink Didn’t see a tarnished me… it just looked At me and seen my truth my pride and then It embraced me for the man That I’m destine to be and that’s Why I love Black & Pink… By 727 Getdown (CA)
Compassion of Love Compassion of love She did give. Like a hidden emotion Of life touching: sudden and alien Like in the heart Of a first unknown love bite To the soul Never felt this kind of love Compassion never was in the dark But come out in the light Who heard my pain in a letter send - Jeff M. (MO)
I remembah
From Isolation I live up here in isolation, My little room of desperation, For 23 hours and 40 minutes a day There’s no one to talk to and nothing to say It gets so lonely in here, might as well be on the moon This COVID thing’s crazy, somebody’s gotta fix this thing soon All alone in here day after day, week after week Time goes by faster when I sleep, sleep, sleep But sleep’s hard to find in this place of despair When sensitive cops clang here
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and bang there Jangling keys and bright lights to the face Someone please help, get me outta this place Alas, the doors stay closed though I cry and weep Even though I didn’t sow this row I have to reap Someday though, after years and years have gone by I’ll burst from these shadows and show the world I can fly.
be the richest man in the world and have the ones who’ve done him wrong bow at his feet.
Dear B&P, Here’s a poem I’d like to submit for publication. You are a huge impact in my life! I am a transgender female in the Colorado prison system. It’s been really hard over the last year. Being on hormones and being isolated due to preexisting medical conditions has made every day seem like three. And our governor Polis has said he wasn’t going to be giving us the vaccine anytime soon. Geeze, I hope this is over soon. Thank you for all you do for us.
Dreams… some that go beyond your sleep and walk with us in the light of day, hallucinations they call it, psychotic they call them.
-Skylar (CO)
“Dreams” Dreams… some hope they come true, some even pray they don’t wake up because they want the mental imagery to become their reality. Dreams… a parallel universe to which we control, there is no limit, and anything is possible. Dreams… the only place where a man of poverty with nothing can
Dreams… a place where we can alter the story of our lives and rewrite, remake, and relive every single moment. Dreams… like Martin had once, of a time when Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Indian people and so on could coexist and live in harmony.
Dreams… typically the best part of an angry man’s day where only he can make his wrongs right and come out prosperous. Dreams… orphans have them, too, of their parents wanting them just as the siblings they think they had. Dreams… we all have them, could have them, some of us just choose not to have them. Some come true, not because of how hard we wished, but because of how hard we worked. Dreams are where transgression is not a factor and physics are easily defied. Remember dreams are what you make of them, the same way we live to die, eat to survive, drink to hydrate, learn to educate… we sleep to Dream, Dreams. - Prince Pooh (TX)
SEPTEMBER 2021
“Detested Person” Why do you hate me? What have I done to you? I’m simply being who I be, To do otherwise makes me untrue. Even when you’re mean to me, I try to be kind. I would like to see what you see, Maybe then I’d understand your mind. If harm falls upon me, you pretend to be blind. Or you join in and will it to proceed, In this life I confuse whether I’m ahead or behind. Instead of helping me, you condemn me. You utter words of disgust, You treat me with rudeness and disrespect, Of everyone I now mistrust. Though you’re wrong, you say you’re correct. You laugh at me and hurl derogatives, You kick me while I’m already down. Of me, everyone has their prerogatives, I try but can’t get off the ground. My eyes constantly weep, I wish I knew who made you judge. The dirt you commit under the rug you sweep, To find common ground you refuse to budge. So lost now, you and I, Dark is my vision and insight. You still hate me, though I don’t know why, Please leave me alone, I don’t wish to fight. But in your eyes, I’m a “detested person.” This is the common battle all my
Brothers and Sisters. Fight in life, let’s work together to end this war. Blessed be to all. The Latin Princess, Bella (NM)
“Released but held” 2 weeks to go, 20 years passed slow, I’ll be free finally, But will I really be? I’m killing my Number, But my trauma has be burnt asunder. I love one in love with another, I have to care for my brother, I need to mend things with my mother. I can’t escape the pain of the past, How long will my trauma last? My will broke being over flexed, I’ve the scars to scare, Being who I am, people stare. I’m scared of what’s to come, I’ll never escape what I’ve done. The past has a hold on me, Only in death will I be free. I’m lost in my mind, An escape I’m tryna find. I don’t know who I am, Most people will never understand. For so long, my freedoms been withheld, Now I’m being “released but held.” I’ve spent my entire life in a cell, and now that I’m gonna be free, I’m scared. I’m a survivor, but this is gonna be hard. I hope I can do this. I know some of my Brothers and Sisters can relate. As long as we persevere, I believe we will achieve what we
want.
In Unity: We can overcome!
- Bella (NM)
But we won’t ...
Lying Down and Waking Up a Slave in Texas It’s Poetic ... In Texas, we’re trapped in pits with small windows. Inside these cells, we’re funding our own imprisonment; the chains are encrypted inside the chips and soup sales. We’re inside of an identity crisis believing our souls out of favors, So we accept the chains; Believing a greater change will come save us ... “Can you dig that?!?!” I guess the Willie Lynch Syndrome dies hard in some places. Since I’m older now, In these younger guys I see my own reflection. It seems as if the hate for ourselves is baked in. Perhaps it takes breaking one down, In order to build one up and make a man. I used to beat up on myself! The whipping took away my strength... Then I killed my bad habits and drug ‘em to a ditch! I changed from a threat to a promise; But in Texas I’ll always be a number. Everyday it’s the same old song ... In doubt: Our systematic-scars found a home. In Texas: It’s death before parole.
Because by the throat we’re holding our resolve under the water. Christians and Muslims accept this torture. The trauma cemented the bangers in a corner; Set-tripping, cooking drink and getting stoned. I envision us standing up for ourselves, And not being exploited with little to no health care. But tomorrow we’ll be back in the “Fields,” Under a sun giving off heat like hell. There ain’t a night I don’t look beyond these walls with cataract eyes and pull in the stars. Today’s a blessing... Every good one I’ll record them. Tomorrow I’ll wake up a slave behind these bars. Robert C AKA Pariah (TX)
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Diana Ross coloring page | Free Printable Coloring Pages
diana ross www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/diana-ross?tag=58772
1/1
Aretha Franklin March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018
Queen of Soul “Being a singer is a natural gift. It means I'm using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I'm happy with that.”
WITH LOVE, HONOR, &
R.E.S.P.E.C.T... We love you Ms. Franklin
Free coloring book page In honor of Aretha Franklin, from www.ColoringBook.com St. Louis, MO USA
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Call for Submissions Seeking erotic short stories, poems, and art by Black & Pink incarcerated and free-world family members for a new zine. To be mailed, art cannot include full nudity. Please send submissions addressed to Black & Pink — HOT PINK. This is a voluntary project, and no money will be offered for submissions, but you might get the chance to share your spicy story with many other readers! The zine will be sent one or two times per year. To subscribe to upcoming issues of HOT PINK, write to our address, Black & Pink — HOT PINK.
Black & Pink Mailing Information Write to us at: Black & Pink — [see table below] 6223 Maple St. #4600 Omaha, NE 68104 Please note that you can send multiple requests/ topics in one envelope! Due to concerns about consent and confidentiality, you cannot sign up other people for the newspaper. However, we can accept requests from multiple people in the same envelope. There’s no need to send separate requests in more than one envelope.
If you are being released and would still like to receive the Black & Pink News, please let us know where to send it! Penpal program info: LGBTQ+ people who are incarcerated can list their information and a short non-sexual ad online where people can see it and write. There will be forms in upcoming issues Mail info: We are several months behind on our mail. There will be a delay, but please keep writing! Email us: members@blackandpink.org
If you would like to request:
Address the envelope to:
Newspaper Subscriptions, Address Change, or Volunteering
Black & Pink — General
Newspaper Submissions — Stories, Articles, Poems, Art
Black & Pink — Newspaper Submissions
Black & Pink Organization or Newspaper Feedback
Black & Pink — Feedback
Black & Pink Religious Zine
Black & Pink — The Spirit Inside
Advocacy Requests (include details about the situation and thoughts about how calls or letters might help)
Black & Pink — Advocacy
Submit to or request Erotica Zine
Black & Pink — HOT PINK
Stop Your Newspaper Subscription
Black & Pink — STOP Subscription
Volume 12, Issue 4
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An Update From Black & Pink National
Some of Black & Pink National’s Staff gathered in the organization’s new office space
Some language in this brief has been re-purposed from a KETV News write up Black & Pink National is thrilled to celebrate the opening of their first ever office space. National headquarters hosted an official ribbon-cutting at the end of July. The new offices contain space for the organizations 20+ employees as well as community space. In an interview with Omaha’s
KETV News, Executive Director Dominique Morgan says she’s thankful the LGBTQIA+ based organization finally has a place they can call home. The new offices are down the street from the soon-to-open Housing and Outreach Space Opportunity Campus. Morgan said she’s happy all the organization’s spaces are in the community they most closely work with
“As someone who grew up two blocks from this space, it’s really awesome for us to be able to tell people they can just walk down the street or we’re right around the corner,” Morgan said.