IT’S ABOUT TIME
Attica prison uprising took place in 1971, the local and national press found their way to our door. We were the only game in town.
BY DAVID ROTHENBERG Fortune Founder
For people coming to The Fortune Society, time mostly represents the days, months and years they spent incarcerated. One of the questions most often asked is “How much time did you do?’”as if the period of encagement could be set apart from life. At this juncture in my life, time is more about memories than what lies ahead. Time at The Fortune Society in 1967: There was nothing there, and we made it happen, like Shakespeare approaching an empty page, and miracles are the result. We were in one room, all volunteers. Three of us (me, Kenny Jackson and Mel Rivers) became paid staff in 1970. Those early days were an exciting time. We were being heard. The formerly incarcerated were largely a silenced population but Fortune produced people who could share their life stories. We put a face on those who had been invisible to the greater society. When the historic
After nearly 20 years, I knew my work as an advocate was established, and it was time for Fortune to grow in other directions beyond my capacity to navigate. I first met JoAnne Page when she was a determined law student interning at Fortune. Later that year, we were invited to participate in a criminal justice conference at Yale Law School, one of dozens of similar confabs which, at last, was heeding the experiences of people who had done time. The Yale conference was unique. “Who put this together?” I asked and was pointed to a woman whom I recognized as our recent intern. I liked to think that the weeks she had summered at Fortune had some influence. When JoAnne began as CEO at Fortune, I saw how she made time work for her. Fortune grew and fulfilled my dream when the Fortune Academy (the Castle), the first residence, opened; five more followed. In my eyes, JoAnne has revealed herself as one of the most successful people in NYC history in creating housing for previously homeless populations.
VOLUME LV • SPRING 2023
In 2001, when I became a full-time retiree, I also became a full-time volunteer at Fortune. JoAnne set the bar high, challenging me to run a group for young people in the Alternatives to Incarceration program. That was a rich learning experience for me. She also invited me to sit in on the Castle’s Thursday night community meetings – which I’ve only missed a handful in 20 years – to witness the slow majesty of people reclaiming their life. I have felt proud to be part of a team that has a profound healing one. It continued with Ms. Page at the helm. When I was there in 1967, we were determined, and our vision was to get through the day and have a hand extended to help the next person walking through our door. In time, we have become a healing community, unafraid to use its voice. We always caution new residents at the Castle, many of whom come out of prison running, trying to make up for lost time. We urge them to move slowly. Time will catch up to them if they handle it wisely.
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