Update: early March

Lately.......

#1:

I have been working on the Prison Project's upcoming event "Jazz for Freedom Concert Series." This event is being held at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, as part of the Kinsey Exhibition, which is the largest private collection of African-American art and artifacts.

Our first event will be on March 20th and we will be featuring Dr. Loco & Friends! Here is the flyer that I made (using the highly technological MS Paint and MS Word):

For my research project, I will be collecting data using a survey for participants of the interactive prison cell. My topic is the association between vicarious and personal experiences with the criminal justice system and how these interactions shape public opinion on the role of the criminal justice system. Do those with prior experiences believe that the criminal justice system should be more punitive or more rehabilitative in function?

My hypothesis is that those with a prior experience will think that the criminal justice system should be more rehabilitative, rather than punitive. 

Okay, enough of the academic jargon - if you're in Santa Cruz, you should check out our Jazz for Freedom!

#2

Next week, with other workers at Barrios Unidos, I will be traveling to Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, CA to assist with a reentry fair for the prisoners. Those inmates who have an upcoming release will get hear what programs, resources, and opportunities that various community organizations can provide for them. We will have a table where inmates can find out more information.

I took a tour of the Athens-Clarke County Jail for my Punishment and Society course in college, I have toured Alcatraz in San Francisco, and I used to volunteer at the San Luis Obispo Juvenile Hall, but this will be my first facility visit as a non-profit worker! I'm definitely excited to go!



#3

This past weekend, in the pouring rain, some of my co-workers and I did a sweat lodge (or Temazcal) at our retreat center in the mountains. Somehow we created a roaring fire out of wet logs (and a bit of lighter fluid) and the rocks began cooking!

The experience itself was magnificent. Four rounds of heated volcanic stones are placed in the center and then water is poured over the rocks to create steam. Being in a lodge, singing songs, praying in complete darkness, and inhaling the smoke and sacred herbs in a very hot environment just felt so raw and natural. The lodge has been practiced by our ancestors for thousands of years, so I felt the presence of all my relations, and this is what I meditated on. It was a total purification of mind, body, and spirit, and it will definitely be a ceremony that I participate in for years to come.