The Community

The Community Speaks… 10 years ago, we started The Community newsletter - my mom, two formerly incarcerated friends, and I. My mom used to send me, via the mail or the prison email process in later years, every letter we received from readers. Until my release from prison 6 years later, in 2020, I responded to virtually every letter by hand, the prison library typewriter, or my prison tablet eventually. We also kept every single letter that people sent us and still do. Looking at this pile of letters from readers from those early years, I’m reminded of just how far we’ve come, all the people that depend on and need us, and all the work there is to do in 2025 and beyond. Amidst the difficulties, doubts, and drama, it has been and continues to be an honor. We are immensely grateful. Keep moving forward Shannon ??

The Ascendium Education Group - an organization on a mission to make education and training beyond high school accessible for learners from low-income backgrounds, including within the prison system and the criminal justice reform arena - hosted its first-ever grantee convening recently in Montgomery, Alabama. This gathering brought together organizations from across the country who share a vision of expanding higher education in prison and advocating for systemic criminal legal reform. The Community is a proud Ascendium grantee and our Executive Director, Shannon Ross, spoke on a powerful panel, underscoring the importance of community amidst an uncertain future for justice reform and educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals. A highlight of the convening was the visit to The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration. The museum provided an immersive experience of America’s history with racial injustice, guiding us from the era of slavery through segregation to today’s era of mass incarceration. The Ascendium HEP Grantee Convening was more than an opportunity to share ideas—it was a powerful call to action. Grounded in a shared understanding of the historical and social context, we left with a renewed commitment to advancing equitable education and justice reform, determined to create sustainably systems change.

As Simmone Kilgore commented: The concept of a second chance carries implications that society and individuals don’t think about. ?To have a second chance implies you had a first. ?To get a second chance hints at an arbitrary limited number of chances before you get no more chances… and chances at what. ?To frame things as second chances suggests all the blame for a wrong rests on the individual and that the many factors around and that led to that action shouldn’t be evaluated. Everyone deserves an opportunity at agency and peace despite their background. Consider supporting our end of the year giving campaign as we seek to foster greater opportunities for people with criminal records in 2025 and beyond. Give today! ?????? https://lnkd.in/gjdcgKua

Join Us for a Prison-Inspired Meal at Love Cafe on Giving Tuesday, December 3! ??? What is a prison-inspired meal? It’s a unique dining experience designed by Chef Jeneil Cabreza of l’incontro restaurant, crafted to honor the creativity, community, and resilience of meals made by incarcerated people across the country. ??????>> https://lnkd.in/gP5ZEgBg This intimate gathering will feature stories shared by formerly incarcerated individuals, reflecting on the role food played in fostering connection, survival, and hope during their time inside. One of our guests is now a thriving professional and will share their journey. Seats for this special event are limited, so reserve yours as soon as possible! This event is part of our 10th anniversary celebration, and we are deeply grateful to Love Café for hosting us as we spotlight our mission during this year’s end-of-year giving campaign. Even if you can’t join us, your donation to our campaign will help us reach our $10,000 matching grant goal.??Together, we can continue to make a difference. Keep moving forward! Donate here >> https://lnkd.in/gqyEKzi5

Our final Correcting the Narrative presentation of the year was a great success, with an engaged audience and insightful panelists. A special thank you to Coe College in Iowa, our panelists Mike Cervantes, Colin Ryan, and Geneva Williams, and the amazing Gina Hausknecht (Director of the Prison Learning Initiative) for organizing the event. Outcomes: ? Highlighted Local Efforts: We showcased local organizations and policy initiatives addressing decarceration. ? Built Connections: Students and community members were able to engage with decarceration efforts and understand the reasons behind them. ? Humanized the Impacted: We demonstrated the successes, humanity, and agency of individuals with criminal records. ? Explored Storytelling and Shame: We discussed the power of storytelling, the weight of shame, and how to support others in carrying it. ? Critiqued the System: We addressed the overwhelming ineffectiveness of the current criminal legal system. As always, we ended with a call to action: we encouraged attendees to challenge themselves and others to rethink their assumptions about individuals with records and the system as a whole. If you’re interested in hosting a Correcting the Narrative presentation in 2025, anywhere in the country, please reach out. This topic remains critical, and bringing it to new audiences is more important than ever

The Community is honored to be a partner on the play Clyde’s, running at the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre until November 30. It is a story of formerly incarcerated people at a diner, trying to reestablish their lives after the all too common struggles faced post release. While there, check out artwork from our 4th Annual Correcting the Narrative Celebration on display before the play. ? Clyde’s was a 2022 Tony Awards Nominee for Best Play. For more on the play, you can read a Shepherd Express review here: https://lnkd.in/gybWajkN Get tickets at: https://lnkd.in/gZGaiZXr

?? We’re Celebrating 10 Years of Impact! ?? In 2014 we sent out the first issue of The Community newsletter to a few hundred readers within the Wisconsin prison system. This year marks the 10th anniversary of our organization because of you and our partners. But there are still system-impacted individuals and communities who are lacking life-changing and even life-saving information, resources, and pathways to success. Therefore, we need to expand the production of our newsletter to make sure we continue building spaces that offer valuable resources, solidarity, and support. To mark this milestone, we’ve received a $10,000 matching grant from Wisconsin Humanities to create our new “outside” newsletter, designed to help system-impacted people and their supporters stay informed, connected, and empowered. But we need YOUR help to unlock this grant! Will you help us reach our goal? ?? Here’s how you can help: -Donate: Any amount helps! Whether it’s $25, $50, $100, or more, your donation will bring us closer to the $10,000 match. -Spread the word: Share our campaign with your network—help us reach new supporters who believe in the power of community and education for system-impacted individuals. Let’s make a real impact together. ?? ?? https://lnkd.in/gGbytTHm This grant is funded in part by Wisconsin Humanities, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the State of Wisconsin. #10YearsStrong

Our last #CorrectingTheNarrative screening-panel of the year will be tomorrow evening at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We have a goal of 12 presentations throughout 2025 to keep pushing and promoting the successes, humanity and agency of people with criminal records as well as the mass ineffectiveness our status quo approach to criminal justice in America. If you would like to find out more about hosting one of these presentations and using it to create conversations and leverage policy goals in your jurisdiction or state, please connect with us.

In 2014 we sent out the first issue of The Community newsletter to a few hundred readers within the Wisconsin prison system. This year marks the 10th anniversary of our organization because of you and our partners. But there are still system-impacted individuals and communities who are lacking life-changing and even life-saving information, resources, and pathways to success. Therefore, we need to expand the production of our newsletter to make sure we continue building spaces that offer valuable resources, solidarity, and support. On November 14th we’ll launch our $10,000 matching grant campaign! We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve received a $10,000 matching grant from Wisconsin Humanities to support the creation of our new “outside” newsletter.??This newsletter will help system-impacted people and their supporters—those living outside of carceral settings—stay informed, connected, and empowered. It will offer valuable resources, updates, and a space to build solidarity and support. Here’s how you can help: Donate: Any amount helps! Whether it’s $25, $50, $100, or more, your donation will bring us closer to the $10,000 match. Spread the word: Share our campaign with your network—help us reach new supporters who believe in the power of community and education for system-impacted individuals. See you Thursday ?? *Please note, that the views and opinions expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

A special message from our Executive Director, Shannon Ross! Please get out and vote today. Your voice and every vote counts. ?????????