19 69 ABOUT THIS ISSUE

Thank you for reading this very special issue of Nommo Newsmagazine. This issue was inspired by the Nommo staffs of 1992-1994 who connected with prisoners across the country to share their stories, poetry, and testimonies of their world inside the “Belly of the Beast.” The column, “Belly of the Beast” served a large purpose in the incarcerated community – we became a voice for the silenced. Through articles providing information about incarceration injustice, art and poetry submissions from prisoners, and resources for incarcerated folks, Nommo formed a community partnership with Black and Brown prisoners who wanted to learn more, and needed to be heard. This issue pays homage to the work of those staffers and honors the lives lost to the carceral system in the United States by reimagining the column as a special issue zine, entitled, “Belly of the Beast: Afrikan American Souls in Kaptivity.” This issue covers a range of topics from political education, history of slavery and incarceration, human rights issues within prisons, and the impact of prisons on Black women and families. It is also invigorated and brought to life by the poetry and words of individuals who were incarcerated between 1992 and 1994, and were featured in various issues of Nommo during that time.

I hope that this issue inspires a future generation of abolitionists to think and act – and I pray for an evolution of criminal justice and punishment in our lifetime. I hope this issue contributes to the existing literature on incarceration in its brief form, and also brings a humanity to the conversation of imprisonment through the lively works of our featured poets. These works are republished in their complete form, without edits, to retain the integrity of the conversation. Thank you for reading. Thank you for doing your part.

“Prisons don’t disappear problems. They disappear people.”

Angela Davis