Storytelling and Identity - Fall 2023

we are made of stories

Week 4 Reflection

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On May 2, 2024

In Haven

Week 4:

I didn’t get to talk with Kalia today, but she cried when I popped in to wish her a happy birthday. It was yesterday; she’s sixteen now. I wish I would’ve asked to hug her, but I was scared that the staff would say no. I wish I had brought her treats.

I couldn’t hear the name of the guy I talked to today, but he was so much like me. He played basketball and football and was good at both sports. He won a championship in football and lost a championship in basketball, then came back and won it the next year. He said some losses were lessons, which stood out to me. “When you lose, you learn and you fight not to lose again.” He mentioned offhand that I must be wondering how he got here if he played all the sports and he just said he made some bad decisions. He was so smart, but I could tell he was emotionally intelligent too, and he had a big heart. His favorite meal is pork chops with rice and his mom made it for him once after a bad day. He is such a family person, and he really loves her and cares about her. He instantly picked out that family meant a lot to both of us, so I think he is a good quick judge of people. He was soft-spoken but he kept the conversation going. He was a good person. I’m so sure of that. And he’s had his losses but he’s learning from them with an athlete’s determination, but also an athlete’s patience (endurance?). He loves love songs, and his favorite is one of his mom’s favorites, by Nelly and Kelly something (I couldn’t find it). His dad raised him on the classics: Biggie, Tupac, and Keyshia Cole, but also SZA, Youngboy, and others. He loves a beat, he loves the soft words. but he also loves music for a mood. He sang in elementary school because his choir teacher was encouraging and made him want to do it, but in middle school, he only wanted to do sports. Nobody encouraged him to sing, plus other people believed it wasn’t cool, or respectable, or socially acceptable. So he stopped. I don’t know if he regrets that decision, but I think he said that he wishes he hadn’t made his decision based on what other people thought. I asked him what this place needs and he said to listen to my heart and whatever we think is best, if we really think about it, will be good. He said they will be grateful for anything and everything we give them. But now I want to do something worthy of him, and I’m not sure that we’ll be able to.

Week 3 Reflection

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On May 2, 2024

In Haven

Week 3:

I was with Kalia again. She’s going to be here until March 15. The other girl we were with didn’t speak English and we had a translator device. At first it was way too loud. They tried to make it say bad words and they giggled the whole time. The other girl’s going to be in here until she’s twenty. Kalia fell off her bike once and the handlebar stabbed her in the chest. Her heart stopped and she had to go to the hospital. They’re not allowing her to go back to her family; she’s going to a group home. I can’t imagine what that must be like for her, because I know she loves her family, regardless of whatever it is that she hasn’t shared about them that made the state believe that’s not a safe place for her. The other girl told a story about guns and being afraid but the translator didn’t get it. She also said she was in a fight and fell and everyone laughed at her. I should really improve my Spanish. Mostly they giggled and talked crap and at one point, Kalia said, “Well, you didn’t *snorrrt* when you were young,” and asked her how she got her illegal substances. Luckily, we were able to redirect the conversation back to the movies. My main thought from today is that these girls have been through awful things. They’re not perfect—far from it—but they were giggling and being kids tonight. And yeah, the humor wasn’t innocent, but they can’t really afford to be. Neither were they allowed to be.

Week 2 Reflection

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On May 2, 2024

In Haven

Week 2:

Kalia wanted to be a doctor. Not the kind of doctor that she met this week though; he was mean to her, the female sheriff, and her dad. She said she saw her stepmom and started crying when her stepmom called her Baby, like she was young. She doesn’t know who her real dad is but she asked her mom and her mom didn’t know (although I thought her mom died, based on what she said last week?) and she’ll see them on Friday (dad and stepmom). She doesn’t want to be here next week because the doctor’s physical was all that needed to happen and it didn’t work out. Also, she almost got bitten by a shark! After some Google sleuthing based on the words “grandmother,” “arm,” and “august 2022,” I found out that the event actually happened—a grandmother saved her grandson from being bitten but got bitten on the arm herself in Myrtle Beach, SC. Kalia watched it happen and I don’t know how that didn’t traumatize her forever. Her stepmom made the fin symbol but she thought it meant dive; her dad yelled “shark” and raced into the water. She wants to go to Dubai someday because of the water and the atmosphere. We also talked a lot about superpowers. We agreed that we would have the superpower of photographic memory for school. Even if we only had the power for 24 hours, we could just read every textbook we could during that time so we could remember forever. She wanted to be a doctor because her aunt had diabetes that somehow led to having a hole in her foot (is that the truth? Can that happen from diabetes?) and Kalia did the gauze and everything for her. She watched herself get stitches and was fine (fourth finger, right hand, I don’t know why). We also talked about if we could tell people were lying. She said having that superpower might end her back up here. She has instincts, she says, and she can tell usually, but it would be nice to know for sure and almost read minds. We decided it might be nice, but it’s also probably best not to know because it would really hurt sometimes. She will be really sad and mad if she has to spend her birthday in this place. I hope, for her sake, she’s gone. Just in case, I think I want to bring stuff for her if I can the next few times because I’ve realized how many choices I have. I can do anything, but she’s stuck here. She wants to help people; she’s sweet but also has a steel spine and I know that. She’s had some really traumatic things happen to her and yet she and I breathe the same air, for an hour a week. There were roaches in the place, apparently, some several inches long. We both don’t like bugs, except ladybugs.

Week 1 Reflection

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On May 2, 2024

In Haven

I’m posting my reflections to the blog so I can have a URL for the final project!

Week 1:

We met with two girls today. One of them was really talkative, and she had so many stories to tell. I found it interesting that she instantly went to stories about the police. I think that’s pretty telling, as far as what that means about the impact the police had—and have—on her community. She loves to play basketball and wants to visit New York someday. She told a story about a time she left home with a knife and was just walking around after dark when she was approached by the police. The officers escalated the situation, but one thing that shocked me a little was the phrase “By this point I had the knife out,” which she included as an aside. I can’t tell if she was tased or not. Kalia, the other girl, loves singing and sang at her mom’s funeral- gospel songs. She once was chased by her brother with a BB gun and he shot out her tooth. When they went to the doctor, the police asked her who did it and she said herself to protect him. The other girl threw rocks at people who made fun of her brother and laughed while she told us. She told it in a funny way, but for me, that would have been so traumatic. I guess that’s my biggest takeaway from tonight—the way they used humor to soften the impacts of these extremely traumatic events and the way the events seem normalized.

3/18 and 3/25

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On April 25, 2024

In Angelos, Experiential Reflections

As part of my Leadership 210 class, I had to complete 10 hours at the HJDC and therefore I had additional time spent as an individual with other students. The atmosphere was really different because we did not follow any specific guidelines, so we just spent time with them talking and drawing. Our conversations were ironically mostly about them asking questions about our experiences as college students and then us reflecting on our first year. They were mostly pointing out their similarities/differences. One of them shared how they had a different childhood growing up with not so much time and energy to spend on academics. Another one shared how they immigrated from Mexico and the challenges that they and their family faced. Overall, we ended up having nice discussions and I think they were more willing to share information because we did not come as “instructors” or from a “special programs” rather than students spending time with other students. The conversations were more natural.

Class Notes 4/19

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On April 19, 2024

In Daily Class Notes

 

Opening Things:

  • Started by reading the prep notes posted by Angelos, Kaylee, and Haven regarding “Are Prisons Obsolete?”  
  • Talked briefly about diner on Monday, which will be held in Dhall @ 5:30
  • Talked briefly about our last two assignments for the class, the reflection on group work (due 4/26) and our final reflection assignment (due 5/3)

 

Final Reflection Portfolio:

 

  • The final reflection portfolio will use the same exhibit structure as the final portfolio in the fall, except that we will create a portfolio of exhibits that has stuff that may or may not be used in the final reflection which will also be turned in
  • Examined the final reflection rubric
  • We talked for a bit about refining a thesis statement and reflecting on how we used that process in our first analysis paper in the fall. 
  • The process of setting up the final reflection is just as important as writing the reflection itself
  • Ifti was late, tisk tisk

 

Group Work Process:

 

  • Turned our attention to the group work reflection
  • When talking about the group work process, Brice mentioned how his group changed their guidelines as the group work process continued
  • Talked about the differences between the two person group and the four person group
  • Took some time to discuss the group work process with Ifti as a class while Prof. Dolson stepped out of the room
  • Any other thoughts about our group work process can be sent to Ifti

 

Discussion of “Are Prisons Obsolete?”

 

  • Talked about Haven’s prep note, specifically about the way certain groups of people don’t have to think about prison as much as certain minority groups
  • We mentioned guilt about the our story partner’s situations
  • Talked about the physical space of the detention center, especially touching on the bleakness of the dorms
  • Prof. Dolson talked a bit about the resistance she faced when she wanted to bring our story partners to campus, especially with regard to URPD
  • Nick G mentioned that his friends had similar reactions to the kids coming onto campus
  • We talked about the racist beginnings of the prison system and how that might have created connotations between race and prisons
  • Discussed the convict leasing system, which led to a discussion of reparations and the failure of the American Government to provide those reparations
  • Talked about redlining practices and the lasting effects it still has on Richmond today
  • Prof. Dolson mentioned the difference between how we said where we were from, and how our story partners would. We would say we were from certain cities or states, they would say they were from the specific project housing where they grew up
  •  Touched again on the racial disparity in prisons 
  • Nick J mentions the problems with retributive justice and the necessity for rehabilitative punishment for criminals
  • Brice talks briefly about Reagen era politics and the higher sentences brought about by the “Hard On Crime” policies of the time
  • Mitch mentions how he was struck by the way our story partners were able to still manage to joke around and maintain a positive outlook
  • Nick G mentions how powerful the relationships between the inmates were and how they used those relationships to keep themselves sane through humor and friendly interactions
  • Wesley talks about how his experience was different with the Tuesday night group where his story partners rotated often. 
  • Asked the question: are juvenile detention centers obsolete? What are the pros and cons?
  • The biggest positive we mentioned of the detention center we visited was the opportunities for furthering rehabilitation and education for the people there
  • Brice mentioned the importance of external opportunities to help the incarcerated youth expand their perceptions of their world and the life they can have
  • Wesley mentioned the importance of education and the preemptive effects it may have 
  • We talked about what we would hope for our story partners’ future and for our own future mentalities

Prep Note 4/19

By

On April 19, 2024

In Kaylee, prep note

“Are Prisons Obsolete?” by Angela Davis is a book that I’ve heard a lot about online but I never took the time to read it (or at least the first three chapters) until now. It’s a great book that offers an insight into the current US prison system and how it does much more harm than it does good. The current prison system is for profit, which has allowed countless injustices to happen all in the hopes of making more money. The current prison system has no benefits, other than making said money for a selective group of people. The prison system works at the expense of humans, and often whole communities. The fact that the number of prisons in California doubled within a decade is extremely disheartening, and worse when you learn that men to fill these prisons are exponentially rising. Prisons obviously have not become a deterrent for crime because so many people are still being sent to prisons. A quote from the book that I found important was that “Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings”. This quote highlights the way that prisons simply take people in but do little (often nothing) to help fix the systemic problems that caused people to resort to crime in the first place. I was also shocked to read how prisons truly started after the civil war and due to Jim Crow laws, but this makes sense due to the number of POC imprisoned vs. their white counterparts. All in all, this book was a great read and I hope that I will have time to continue it.

 

Discussion Ideas

By

On April 19, 2024

In Haven, prep note

A quote that stuck with me from the three chapters was, “We take prisons for granted but are often afraid to face the realities they produce. After all, no one wants to go to prison. Because it would be too agonizing to cope with the possibility that anyone, including our­ selves, could become a prisoner, we tend to think of the prison as disconnected from our own lives.” I think something about this quote juxtaposed with the experience of going to the detention center for an hour or two on Tuesday nights in a way that felt like it was a break from reality is very telling. Before this class, I didn’t give prisons a moment’s thought beyond a vague sense of agreement that they were necessary. But just like anything, once it became personal, I was forced to reexamine my connection to the prison system. We’re compelled to reckon with our previous state of oblivious meandering, but at the same time, I think the main takeaway from this quote should not be self-introspection. Yes, the experience of working with these kids helped me realize how uneducated I previously was, but beyond that, it revealed some major flaws in the justice system that are not okay. I think a lot of times, especially in the media, these kids are either romanticized or vilified; the headlines are always “The Group That Made Blankets For the Poor Kids in the Jail” or “We Need to Crack Down on Teen Crime.” But as a society, we need–we need–to realize that these kids don’t exist to fit into one of our little think-piece narratives. They’re human, and they’re going through some awful and traumatic experiences that nobody deserves to go through.

It would also be interesting to discuss the Alabama governor’s quote from chapter two: “Segregation today, segregation tomor­row, segregation forever.” In a more covert, shoved-under-the-rug way, that idea has survived until the 21st century in the fabric of the criminal justice system, right? What are your thoughts about that? How was society able to convince us that it was good, that it made the world safer? What strategies do we see the people in power using to keep that belief in place?

4/12/2024 — UR Visit

By

On April 18, 2024

In Experiential Reflections, Javier

It was an amazing opportunity to have them come to campus. Starting from the beginning, although I came late, the book arts studio was a fun experience. The guys at my table had creative minds, and my partner for the project, G, actively considered doing his own story into the booklet! Although he struggled a bit because of the sheer size of his story, he was really happy to see the completed result. I am excited for him and to see where he goes after he graduates with his GED and begins working with his dad, and I wish him the best.

The tour was a pretty fun experience, albeit we moved a lot faster than I was expecting. Sometimes they were not the most attentive group, but I could tell they were having fun. They made sure to take plenty of pictures, and they definitely wanted to see the Football field for the experience. I learned that one of the others in the group was considering applying to the University of Richmond for college with some plan for a background in business but was also interested in a lot of fields like the arts and history.

The rain was an unexpected agent, but it was nice to get a little bit of breathing room from the walking. Basketball was fun but I did not actively participate, but it was fun seeing them have fun on the campus. I also never knew we had a volleyball pit, and seeing one of the boys hop in for a game with the UR students already there was something that put a smile on my face.

Seeing the booklets reach completion was a satisfying feeling. and it was good to see them one more time. I’ve got high hopes for all of them.

Prep Note 4/17

By

On April 17, 2024

In Angelos, prep note

As someone who deeply admires Angela Davis, reading the first three chapters of “Are Prisons Obsolete?” has been incredibly thought-provoking. Davis challenges the conventional wisdom about prisons, highlighting how they often fail to address the underlying issues that lead to crime. This aligns with broader discussions on the societal impacts of maintaining illiteracy among prisoners and dismantling educational programs behind bars. It’s clear that denying education to inmates not only undermines their chances of rehabilitation but also perpetuates cycles of poverty and crime, which ultimately burden society as a whole.

At the Northwestern Human Rights Conference in Chicago, similar ideas were shared about the importance of adopting correctional strategies that prioritize rehabilitation over punishment. Davis’s insights resonate with this perspective, emphasizing the critical role of education in reducing recidivism and promoting successful reintegration into society. The historical context provided, including the closure of college programs like the one at Greenhaven Prison, underscores the detrimental effects of shifting away from rehabilitative approaches within the criminal justice system. Davis’s call to rethink our reliance on prisons and invest in alternative forms of justice further motivates me to advocate for change and work towards creating a more equitable and humane society.

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