Getting Proximate: Reflections from a Visit to Monroe Prison

By Sewheat Asfaha

Olivia Vanni / The Herald

Growing up in neighborhoods that are predominately communities of color, I've experienced and witnessed continually discriminatory policing. The school-to-prison pipeline was made clear to me at a young age, as I heard stories of family members and peers getting caught in this cycle.

 My first time visiting a carceral entity was in Lumpkin, Georgia, one of the poorest towns in the country. I was on a college service project trip centered around immigration, and the group and I watched a short documentary detailing how private prisons make a profit and therefore have an incentive to keep prisons filled. We drove 3 hours to the Stewart Detention Center, a private prison operated by Corrections Corporation of America. Incidentally, one of the detainees I spoke with was living in my hometown before he was transferred - I couldn’t believe how close to home it felt. In the years following, I continued to sharpen my analysis by becoming more involved with organizing efforts in my community.

The United States has long had the highest incarcerated population worldwide, with roughly 2 million people in jails and prisons. In Washington state, around 14,000 people are held in prisons, with 1,500 of them at Monroe Correctional Complex. 

My colleagues, Stephanie and Sofia, recently visited the Monroe facility with a donor community, One for Justice, which focuses on organizing and supporting the efforts of philanthropists who are committed to reimagining the criminal justice system. The experience was also coordinated by Collective Justice, which is a nonprofit that leads training on restorative and transformative justice practices to equip agencies and individuals with the skills to address harm through community healing. They are one of many organizations working to create new ways of enacting community safety, accountability, and healing outside of the traditional structures of the criminal justice system. When Stephanie and Sofia came to our staff meeting after this visit, their reflections were so moving and thoughtful that I thought to have this interview be my first blog post for Phīla. I hope you appreciate their reflections as much as I did.

***


What was the process like to enter Monroe prison? How did it feel entering the premises?

Sofia: The process to get on the list to be able to visit was challenging and needed registration weeks in advance. We were instructed to bring a state or federal-issued identification. Upon entering, the prison staff kept our documents in exchange for a visitor badge. I noticed feeling anxious about surrendering something that represented my personal freedom in order to enter the space. I also was thinking a lot about my brother who was in and out of jail through much of his life, up until his passing. I wondered how it felt for him knowing he would spend months behind locked doors like these, and that made me enter with a feeling of being a sister.  

Stephanie: It was tightly controlled and very organized. We were a group of about a dozen, and came on one bus. We had to move as one group, and pause in each chamber and wait for doors to lock behind us and unlock in front of us to get through. It was a medium-security prison, but every space had guards watching. Once we were on the grounds, I noticed a community garden and a bench. I wondered what is the process of being able to sit on this bench in the garden. How would an inmate get to access a meditative space like that and what bureaucracy is required?

Once you entered, tell me about the group you met with and the individuals. What stood out to you from the conversations you had? 

Stephanie: Our group met with a group of 12 incarcerated men. Guards gave us explicit instructions to only give handshakes and no hugs. There was a nervous energy, myself included, but someone mentioned just how significant it was for people from the outside to visit and I think we all felt how special it was that we were there. 

Sofia: A member of Collective Justice opened the circle with a grounding exercise, which they typically use in their justice circles as part of the Healing Education and Accountability for Liberation (HEAL) program. A question was posed to the group - “what brings you here?” There was a mix of responses, and we got to hear a piece of everyone’s story.  A common theme was hearing multiple generations of family members going into prison and experiencing the carceral systems, sometimes simultaneously. Having a high percentage of adult men in prison for long periods of their young adult lives had a notable impact on their communities. Members in the circle shared wanting to break this cycle and support others in this journey. 

Stephanie: We learned about how difficult it is to get programs like HEAL at the prisons. There were many stories of folks growing up in foster care, experiencing violence, and ultimately being abandoned once they become 18. Fundamentally, I wondered - why is it so difficult to access these programs that are so needed?  Why wouldn’t we give folks a chance to heal and make sense of the life they had?  What are the barriers to accessing programs like this? Folks in the circle shared the layered politics that often block these programs from happening. Additionally, a few shared that even wardens and correctional officers are also not in socially stable conditions themselves and are in need of many of the same services that inmates would get. So there is a perceived feeling of resentment that the inmates could get access to therapy, education and healing which feels like a reward when they are there to be “punished”. I found this fascinating and disturbing. 

Sofia: Another thing we took away from the circle was “hurt people hurt people.” So many folks in the circle were victims of violence themselves when they were young, powerless, and vulnerable. They shared how the HEAL program helped them build an awareness of why they might have engaged in violence, but they also continue to build their analysis towards actionable accountability for the harms they created. The participants work to actively disrupt these patterns of harm.

Stephanie: I was struck by how criminal justice as an issue area is deeply intersectional. It is tightly connected to issues of foster care, housing, economic justice and more. What happens when folks leave Monroe? Where can they afford to live? I also learned recently that WA State law prevents released prisoners to stay until morning thus releasing them in the middle of night, in unsafe conditions - without stability or a social safety net, which increases the probability that they’ll return.

What surprised you about the visit? What did you learn? 

Sofia:  I was surprised to hear that since 2020, Monroe had not allowed any nonprofit programs to operate in person and this visit was the first time in years that the community partners had  in person contact with their clients. I learned that DOC is closing a unit at Monroe that has allowed these programs. From a prisoner standpoint, it was shared with us that it felt like a political decision to close one of the “better” units. I also want to highlight that Washington state does not have parole - many people we met were serving 15-year-plus sentences, often from crimes they committed as a youth. I was saddened and angry hearing how so many had spent their entire adult lives imprisoned. 

Stephanie:  I also want to emphasize Washington’s lack of parole. We hear all the time about how progressive Washington is but we often see the opposite. With our regressive tax code, and now learning that we are one of only sixteen states without parole, we see there is still work to do. I wondered how Washington’s criminal justice system measured in comparison to other states. In a conversation with one of the program leaders, they said that advocates were able to make some progress in Washington, but I got the impression that there is still a lot that needs to change.

For folks who have not had much interaction with the criminal justice system, what is something you want to share from the visit?

Sofia: Visits where you get to interact with and hear from people who are the most impacted are important for philanthropists. This visit underscored the importance of getting proximate when it comes to truly understanding social issues. 

Stephanie: You have to be willing to experience discomfort with what you’re witnessing, hearing, and feeling. Criminal Justice is a complicated issue with a lot of perspectives to hold. I thought about my cousin who has been incarcerated and his very complicated life. Sometimes in philanthropy, we try to look for things that are neat and clearcut. The harder thing is navigating all the gray areas, and that’s what this visit brought out for me. How do we acknowledge that harm has been done while also recognizing that the current justice system is cruel, and unhelpful across the board? For a visit like this, folks should be prepared to hold a lot of different emotions.

How did it feel leaving Monroe?

Stephanie: Perhaps it may sound strange, but I felt grateful. It was such an eye-opening experience and I learned so much. It reinforced for me how important site visits are to hone one’s understanding of issues.

Sofia: I felt humbled by this experience. I reflected about how hard everyone we met was working to be accountable and heal themselves. I also thought about how being in prison alone does nothing to rehabilitate - a time sentence with no investment in a healing process does not really help the communities or people who have been hurt. I left wanting to continue to learn more, and gained an even deeper motivation to connect with clients who are responding to the urgency of criminal justice. I’m glad that groups like One for Justice are convening philanthropists to reimagine the criminal justice system.

***

Centering voices of the most impacted is essential to understanding solutions to social issues. In the realm of criminal justice, several barriers disrupt any connection to incarcerated communities and many restrictive practices continue to limit nonprofit program work. Yet, organizers continue to be creative and persistent in reaching their base while forging new paths of accountability and healing.

As you continue your philanthropy journey, I hope you can reflect on what it means to stay connected to these issues, and what it can look like for funders to work alongside community partners towards a justice system that is truly restorative. 

Pull Up for Racial Justice: Resources

Updated as of 6/23/20

*Listed in order: Direct Relief, System Change, Petitions, Educational Tools, and Other Resources (alphabetized within section) 

*Organizations that have been over funded, or are no longer accepting donations have been removed.

 

Direct Relief Funds

Cultural Wellness Center unleashes the power of citizens to heal themselves and to build community in Minneapolis. 

Emergent Fund: Provides rapid response funding to grassroots organizations in communities of color who are facing injustice based on racial, ethnic, religious and other forms of discrimination.

Headwaters Foundation for Justice: The Transformation Fund: The fund will make grants to grassroots organizations that are providing protesters and community members with immediate needs and to groups that are demanding change and holding law enforcement and elected officials accountable.

National Bail Fund Network: Network of 60+ community bail and bond funds across the country. Immediate goal is to quickly release protestors. We recommend you first call your local chapter and ask them about their needs before donating.

Northside Business Support: Fund to support businesses on Minneapolis’ Northside who have been affected by protests. 

North Star Health Collective: A collective that provides healthcare services, resources, and training for protestors and organizers. 

Pimento Relief Fund: Relief Fund for Black businesses in Minnesota without insurance that suffered from damages during protests. 

Systemic Change

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Committed to fighting for and restoring fundamental freedoms and rights.

Black Immigrant Collective: “Amplifies and makes visible the voices of Black immigrants in Minnesota”

Black Lives Matter: Global Organization combating racism, white supremacy, and violence towards Black communities.

Black Table Arts: “Gathering Black communities through the arts, towards better black futures”

Black Visions Collective: Organization dedicated to Black liberation and healing justice. Originated in Minnesota.

Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100): Organization of Black youth activists “creating justice and freedom for all Black people”

Campaign Zero: Police Reform group working on policy change

Communities United Against Police Brutality: Committed to fighting police brutality and abuse of authority by police.

Fair Fight: Advocates for election reform, voter engagement/turnout, and voter education, founded by Stacey Abrams. Donations are not tax deductible.

Know Your Rights Camp: Educational camps/campaign started by Colin Kaepernick to “advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities”.

Minnesota Voice: Nonprofit working towards permanent changes in racial, social and economic justice.

The Movement for Black Lives Matter (M4BL): Umbrella organization that mobilizes and organizes individuals to “influence national and local agendas in the direction of our shared Vision for Black Lives”.

NAACP Legal Defense Fund: Provides legal aid, advocacy, and education for racial justice issues.

Racial Justice Network: “A multi-racial, grassroots organization committed to fighting for racial justice and building bridges across racial, social and economic lines”.

Reclaim the Block: Organizing the Minneapolis community and city council members to defund the police and redistribute that money to other community resources. 

Petitions

·      Justice for Ahmaud Arbery Petition via Colorofchange.org

·      Justice for Breonna Taylor Petition via Change.org

·      Justice for George Floyd Petition via Change.org

·      Justice for George Floyd Petition via Colorofchange.org

·      Petition to Charge the Minneapolis Police involved in the murder of George Floyd via Change.org

·      Petition to Charge the Minneapolis Police involved in the murder of George Floyd via Colorofchange.org

 

 Educational Tools

“A Call to Funders to Fund the Struggle Against Anti-Black Racism” Article by Funders for LGBTQ Issues staff.

Anti-Racism Educational Resources for White People List of Articles, Books, Children’s Books, Podcasts, Film/TV, etc.

Anti-Racist Reading List Reading list compiled by author, Ibram X. Kendi

Black History Month Library PDFs via Google Drive

Black-Owned Bookstores in the United States Organized by name, state, and on a map

Campaign Zero “Policy Solutions” Page Includes facts, figures, studies, external resource links, etc.

“The Case for Reparations” Article by Ta-Nehisi Coates

“Dear Philanthropy: These Are the Fires of Anti-Black Racism” Article by Will Cordery for the Nonprofit Quarterly 

“11 Things to do Besides Say ‘This Has to Stop’ in the Wake of Police Brutality” Article by Brittany Wong

“15+ Tools and Resources to Challenge Racism” Article by CompassPoint staff members Amy Benson, Michelle Gislason, Maro Guevara, Sujin Lee, and Asha Mehta. Includes Ted Talks, Blogs, Articles, Books, Toolkits, Frameworks etc.

“5 Ways to Start Being a Better Ally for Your Black Coworkers” Article by Courtney Connley

How to be an Antiracist Book by Ibram X. Kendi and Kendi’s personal antiracist reading list is here

“How to Manage When Things Are Not Okay (And Haven’t Been for Centuries)” Article by The Management Center for managers and leaders.

“How Philanthropy Can Help Achieve Racial Justice” Time100 talk/video by Ford Foundation CEO, Darren Walker

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption Book and website by Bryan Stevenson

Know Your Rights Camp: Educational camps/campaign started by Colin Kaepernick to “advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities”

The Marshall Project A nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that reports on the criminal justice system.

Me and White Supremacy Book by Layla F. Saad

“Mom, Why Don’t You Have Any Black Friends?” Article by Michelle Silverthorn on talking to children – and yourself - about race.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness Book by Michelle Alexander

1619 Podcast by the New York Times

So You Want to Talk About Race Book by Ijeoma Oluo

Unicorn Riot: “A decentralized, educational nonprofit media organization of artists and journalists”. Currently reporting on and Live-Streaming protests.

“U.S.  Businesses Must Take Meaningful Action Against Racism” Article by Laura Morgan Roberts and Ella F. Washington

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism Book by Robin Diangelo

White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide Book by Carol Anderson

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race Book by Reni Eddo-Lodge (Free in audio-book version from Amazon)

“You do Not Need to be Black to Know that Black Lives Matter” Article by The Communications Network

“Your Black Colleagues May Look Like They’re Okay – Chances Are They’re Not” Article by Danielle Cadet on checking-in on your Black work colleagues

Other

·      PDF of Caucus information via Just Lead Washington: “Caucuses as a Racial Justice Strategy: What We Have Learned” 

·      Google Document of community collective resources/educational tools

·      Google Document of community collective organizations to donate to 

·      Google Document of community collective “National Resource List”

·      Google Document for calling/e-mailing public/state officials

·      Safe Protesting/Protester Information

·      More Resources to Explore 

 

 

 

The Story Behind the Story

At the outset of the pandemic, Washington State bore the brunt of the coronavirus in infection rates and death. As we are now flattening the curve, other states are taking our place and those with a larger percentage of poor residents (especially Black poor) are not only being hit hard, they are being hit worse because of political and social realities. Among the social realities is philanthropy. Along with generally progressive state governments, philanthropy on the west coast has played an outsize role in mitigating the harm imposed by the pandemic. It’s wonderful and I am truly grateful. But I had to ask myself: What about those places that are not home to so many billionaires and their trillion-dollar-valuation companies (Amazon)? How far does philanthropy’s largesse reach when when we need to help ourselves too?

I looked in my own backyard first for answers. Towards the end of March, civic leaders, the Mayor’s Office, and the Seattle Chamber saw the writing on the wall and decided to act quickly. Kirkland, a bedroom community east of Seattle, was the epicenter of the outbreak and the coronavirus was wreaking havoc. They created a fund called All in Seattle and asked everyone in their networks to double down on their support of non-profits and, if they were so inclined, support their newly created fund. Support they did. In a mere two weeks, All in Seattle managed to raise over $30 million dollars for area non-profits.

At the same time, The Seattle Foundation created its COVID-19 Response Fund and it raised another $20 million for community-based organizations. Starbucks founder Howard Schultz and his family foundation announced their initiative, The Plate Fund, which raised $7 million to help restaurant industry workers with basic needs by giving gifts of straight cash. On top of these funds, we have smaller regional community foundations nearby that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. And lastly, this list does not include “specialty funds” like Artist Trusts’ ($550K) and  Seattle Artists Relief Fund ($300K) for artists (gig workers and creatives with no outlet for their choreography, compositions, or paintings).

I am constantly amazed by the incredible generosity and overall engagement of Seattle’s citizenry, but never more than I have been recently. It has been the single most important reason I choose to call this city my adopted hometown. But for those of us who live here, we can be easily deluded into thinking that this is how it is everywhere. As we all know, it’s not. The coronavirus has, as Jeff Bezos has said, “turned over the log” and brought to light what was hidden in the darkness for those who chose not to look. Lurking in the dark spaces is our country’s long-held racial and economic inequities that affect one’s access to healthcare, childcare, justice, and fair wages. New data and an onslaught of news articles are showing how this pandemic is playing out for those with the least. African-Americans, Native-Americans, and the undocumented are all being infected and dying at a rate far beyond their representation in society. So what can philanthropy do?

I co-wrote an article for Giving Compass, the philanthropic knowledge center, with Stephanie Gillis of The Raikes Foundation which attempts to provide an answer to that question. It is right and noble for our instincts to guide us toward directing our giving to the places that we call home. As the adage states, that is where charity begins. But, when we take the time to acknowledge the unique capacity (financial, political, intellectual) of our home to take care of itself, we also acknowledge that we have enough to share with others beyond the confines of our proverbial backyard. This is the premise of the Giving Compass article. It encourages donors who give disaster funding to do two things: to give with a sense of abundance rather than scarcity, and to take advantage of data and information to also give where the need is greatest. It may not be nearby.

A Trio of Books on Philanthropy to Get Your Mind Churning

Looking for thought-proving reading on the current state of philanthropy? Well, there has a been a flood of new books that have, in the words of Jeff Bezos in an entirely different context, “turned over the log” of philanthropy so that we can examine what has been hiding in the dark.

Three important books were published in 2018 that implore us to think critically about the role of philanthropy and wealth in our society. Whether you agree with them or not, you will definitely leave with an opinion and be better informed.

 The first is Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the Worldby Anand Giridharadas. The journalist dismantles the elites of "big philanthropy" and their institutions that maintain the status quo to their extreme advantage. Their giving is palliative rather reparative; in that it refuses to address the root causes of the suffering they’re trying to alleviate because to do so would threaten their position and lifestyle. He speaks with all of the zeal of the converted as an ex-member of the club of thought leaders and pundits who reinforce the notion to the world’s mega-wealthy that their good works is enough, rather than endure the true sacrifice necessary to enforce systemic change. 

 The second is Just Giving: How Philanthropy is Failing Democracy, by Robert Reich (not the former Secretary of Labor of the same name). The philosopher's argument is similar to Giridharadas' in positing that the immense power the very rich hold in philanthropy is inherently undemocratic and erodes the underpinnings of our aspirations toward justice. He goes further to argue that big philanthropy has a big problem with ethics and unfair uses of power by its being unaccountable, nearly perpetual, and hugely tax-advantaged. Reich also suggests ways to use legislation to bring more equity into the philanthropic sector. 

The final book is Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balanceby Edgar Villanueva. If you read his book last, you might think it will be a balm to the previous two books’ searing critiques. While his tone is gentler, he is no less forceful in his arguments on the extreme inequality in philanthropy and society. What is unique here is that Villanueva assesses our current state of affairs through the lens of colonialism. His thoughtful and unique arguments explain his view that finance and philanthropy have not strayed far from its imperialist beginnings. However, unlike Giridharadas and Reich, Villanueva offers Native American-rooted wisdom to help us rebalance and heal from these centuries-old wounds.

 These three authors will no doubt be remembered as the ones who shone a light on philanthropy and encouraged us to be better.