Instead of spending $80 billion a year to lock people up, lets build communities and create a world that is more fair and less racist. You should be, like, this should be a celebration, man. More often than not, violence, isolation and angerare what come to mind. Jule Hall, 11 Log In or Sign Up Shawnta Montgomery See Photos Shawnta Montgomery See Photos Shawnta Montgomery See Photos Shawnta Montgomery See Photos Shawnta Montgomery For now, the roughly 300students taking classes free of charge at the elite collegeare the exception. (You get in the good habit of bullshitting white people, Rivera remarked later. Im a reluctant veteran of the short bid, someone might say gloomilya short bid being a brief sentence. But, of course, Ill run a background check on you. As things stand, it is both of these things, intensely. Shawnta Montgomery, Age 33. Privacy Policy |Terms of service |Subscription terms |Your ad choices |Cookie Settings |California Privacy Rights |About Us |Contact Newsday |Reprints & permissions |Advertise with Newsday |Help. The vast majority of participants have never experienced an education that called upon them to ask these questions. We live in our own minds. It wasnt always this way. Id like to offer it to you. Being in college also gave me hope and purpose. Wheres bottom? The quote is mine, so Im gonna own it, he said. Rivera can keep the room buoyant with a jokeusually at the expense of Rothenberg, who, as the household saint, can afford to have a few jokes told at his expense (and whose aura is very different from Riveras: small, high-strung, gay, and Jewish). The primary reason i decided to participate in this film is because I love my brother. You know who Peggy Lee is? he asked. Botstein said thefilmmakers challenge viewers to rethink their views of felons bynot immediately revealing the BPI students' crimes, unlike most other films and books on the subject of college in prison. Malcolm Jenkins Sosay that this, wherever you are, is your bottom. If I wait for the world to . Studies reckon that every $1 invested in higher education in prison saves the public $5 overall. Im a program associate at the ford foundation with the gender, racial, and ethnic justice unit, bringing directly impacted experience to philanthropy. There may be a bottom below the bottom youve hit already! After the toddler's death later that morning, the county medical examiner's office conducted an autopsy and on Saturday found that the girl had been killed by a blow to her liver, Nassau police said. I cant fix you. Remember, a lot of our residents are people who went from eating institutional food in school to eating institutional food in prison and thats all they know. As a child, Kinzel said, he was violent and constantly exposed to illegal activities. Page emphasizes the societys open doors policy. Left: Giovannie Hernandez attends the special screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS at The Apollo Theater on November 12, 2019 in New York City. Left: Jule Hall attends the special screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS after-party at Red Rooster on November 12, 2019 in New York City; Right: Vivian Nixon and Max Kenner on the red carpet before the screening The Apollo Theater. In the late nineteen-sixties, at the peak of his career as an extremely successful Broadway publicist, working with the likes of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, he produced aCanadian play aboutrape in prison called Fortune and Mens Eyes,and realized that the men who weremost stirred bythe play were ex-cons, as they were called then. Montgomery was ordered back to Nassau County criminal court on Feb. 18, officials said. With some people, it was just a faade, a performance to get in. We would not be here without you. "This isn't about giving people in prisonsomething new," Brumfieldsaid. Virginia authorities had received reports of child abuse concerning Dizhawna last year, Nassau police said. Dont answer! Tamika Graham and Jumaane Williams speak on stage at the special screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS at The Apollo Theater on November 12, 2019 in New York City. The coronavirus pandemic hit the Castle hard. Many of us have done it. I love this program. People who have just come home meet interviewers in mock interviews. Im glad I didnt know about the brick.. The Thursday meeting was moved to Zoom. Sun Tzu said if you know the outcome of the fight anyway, you have no need to fight. Scary. Rivera forwarded the text to a friend and added a comment: This is why I do what I do.. For those navigating the challenges of rentry, it can help to have a tough-minded guide with lived experience. The city took it from the nuns and left it vacant, with the idea that it would become a TB hospital, but they gave up on that idea, and instead it became a magnet for drug dealing. In 1998, Fortune bought it for $1.2 million. ", 68% of inmates released from state prisons were rearrested, 42.6% of state prisoners released in 2012 returned to prison, Released from prison by Obama, now on the dean's list, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Sebastian Yoons account of parental abandonment and poverty is enough to stand for all. You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. Montgomery has no criminal record, authorities said. "Iwant people to walk away from this film understanding that there are many more people who want to be involved in programs like this that are incarcerated, but they don't have the access or the possibility of doing so.". Some students enter with educational abilities so low, they struggle to read basic phrases, let alone the complicated writing ofThe OdysseyorKing Lear. We tried to convince the powers that be that this was a shortsighted decision, says Anthony Annucci, the acting commissioner for New Yorks department of corrections, but we couldnt compete with the 20-second soundbite. A recidivism rate among BPI graduates of 4%, compared with the usual 50%, did nothing to change anyones mind. Recently, controversy had arisen about the release of long-term prisoners guilty of notoriously violent crimes, and Rivera and Rothenberg began discussing the difficulties of reconciling the work at Fortune with their sense of moral order. But I studied hard and attended several programs while I was in jail. If your editor made you put at the top of every column you ever wrote, Written by Tom the Bed-Wetter. I want to say goodbye, he said. Maxwell and her daughter, Cindy Collier, 17, said they met Montgomery for the first time on New Year's Day and during the month-and-a-half long stay, they never saw Montgomery lay a hand on the little girl. Peer Recovery Counselor, Fortune Society. Thats the trick. We came across as participating in the punishment, he said. And those people really dont last that long. Im not used to having anyone take anything from me. A 15-year-old girl at the home was also stabbed several times and raped, Jackson said . These students work their way into a highly selective program, they meet the demands of a rigorous curriculum and the expectations of classmates who aim for academic excellenceand they do so under conditions that no one would describe as optimum for, or conducive to, academic success. So, here in New York City, we can look forward to benefiting from their contributions as advocates and leaders. (All Photos by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Skiff Mountain Films), .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }. The same rule that holds in a small regional theatre holds in a nonprofit devoted to post-incarceration transitions: the charismatic figure wins the allegiance of his clientele, at the risk of alienating his colleagues, who, without any malice or even conscious envy, become mindful of what they see as his managerial deficits. A Roosevelt woman, seven months pregnant, has been charged with manslaughter after she beat her 2-year-old daughter to death for misbehaving while brushing her teeth, police said. It allowed me to transcend incarceration and gave me the credentials and skills necessary for success after 25 years in a cage. Nourished by Shawnta Haircare. There may be a thousand bottoms you could hit if you let yourself. Its Mom. See Shawnta's contact info now . . When someone is incarcerated, their entire family is impacted. New York Gov. It empowered me to realize I wasn't a stupid kid.". Probably the kindest, most loving thing anyones ever done for me, he says. Max Kenner You know The Green Pastures, the movie? The 1936 film relates Bible stories as Black American folklore. Thursday meetings are always essentialwe realized that if we had rooms and no services we were just a hotel, he said. To earn their bachelor's degree, students must write a lengthy research paper that is comparable to graduate-level coursework. But applicants are screened for current risk of violence, not a history of violence. Im interested in this brick. You can get addicted to education. Was anyone around this week when I got stepped to?. Many students earn certificates in manufacturing that are in high demand in the state, leading graduates to find work and immediately contribute to the economy. Some think that even in prison, they should not have access to it. Its changing fundamentally the way I think, behave and interact with people, says Dyjuan Tatro (the eukaryotic expert). Asnuntuck Community College in northern Connecticut, for example, is feeling the effects of expanding Pell Grants to prisoners. Canvass Director at JustLeadershipUSA and the Lead National Organizer for Beyond the Box Initiative. December 09, 2019 03:36 PM Student Shawnta Montgomery spoke inspiring words at her graduation ceremony: "Inside the walls of a classroom, you escape the walls of a cell and you become an. Yet heremains spiritually on both sides of the doorway. A language of elaborate indirection fills the room. College Behind Bars first premiered Nov. 25, 2019 on PBS and has since then become popular among Netflix audiences. (The computer room is not a place to come to hang out, he announced as one meeting began. (I didnt realize how important it was to make a statement because I thought our actions spoke for themselves, Page said. Shawnta Montgomery and Elitha Smith-Lutz speak on stage at the special screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS at The Apollo Theater on November 12, 2019 in New York City. So then you always say, Well, I blew it, so Ill start again on Monday. And you spend the weekend enjoying yourself. Current Address: WQPU Spring Valley Rd, Montgomery, AL. Last month, Congress introduced bills that wouldreinstate Pell Grant eligibility for those incarceratedas part ofwider college affordability legislation. Why does power corrupt? Shawnta Montgomery, 17 "Look what it does for people, look at the doors that are open, look at recidivism ratesyou see the transformation.". My life styleIm not proud of itbut I was a stickup kid my whole life. So thats the only bottom I want to hit. Dyjuan Tatro, 18 Smith, 25, was accused of firing a 9-mm handgun into the Norfolk, Va., home where Montgomery was staying last November. Ill accept you any way you are. They are investigating who owns the weapon, he said. When you feel threatened, dont react. But my job is saving lives now. The toddler was rushed to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow and a doctor pronounced her dead at 10:50 a.m., officials said. Past Addresses: Montgomery AL, Montgomery AL +2 more. You got to explain this shit, man.. When you come home and someone says, How ya doing? its not a question. December 17, 2021 until valhalla marines "Inside the walls of a classroom, you escape the walls of a cell and you become an individual again.". Rivera was sitting over dinner at Trufa, an eclectic little restaurant at Broadway and 140th Street. Today, working with colleagues who are compassionate and committed to social justice, I feel optimistic and completely at home. On another occasion, Shawnta Montgomery mentioned meeting someone who had worked with Rivera in the past: He said, Sam tried to fix me, but he couldnt. But he sends his regards., I couldnt fix him? Rivera said, with some vehemence. A longtime resident called E., a formidable Jamaican with the voice, and the authority, of Laurence Fishburne, sits in the far-left corner. Then on Thursday you go over to Moms and she makes fried chicken, and how can you say no? The first-floor room where the Thursday meeting takes place is decorated with a plush rug and photographs of the Castle from back when it was a Catholic girls school, and a poster-size Times article about the Fortune kitchen, which has a reputation for seriously good cooking. Yeah, theres a line, I think its from there, that I always repeat. Eliminating Pell grants for people in prison cut 35 million dollars from the federal budget. We wouldnt have gotten this far without formerly incarcerated leaders paving the way, including Tamika, Darren Mack and other BPI alumni. Phone Number: (334) 354-PZKB +2 phones. While incarcerated, Kinzel cobbled together college courses as part of a Maine state program. Ad Choices. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. However, we cannot abandon people in prison nor the investments that give them hope for the future. Taxpayer dollars are not at work. As the sociologist Erving Goffman wrote in the nineteen-fifties, A status, a position, a social place, it is not a material thing to be possessed and displayed; it is something to be enacted and portrayed. That idea is profoundly relevant to the work of the Fortune Society. So tonight, I want to thank all of our families for supporting us for believing in us, and for being there. Jones hopes change will come as policymakers realize tough-on-crime policies that exclude incarcerated individuals from opportunities don't work. In the hope of rescuing a different future for us all, we must take some lessons from BPIthis program has much to teach us about the role of education in society. I cant fix anyone. Montgomery and Smith moved from Virginia to Roosevelt last month to stay with Smith's mother, Beverly German. Found of Listen Up Media, Philadelphia Eagles Two-time Super Bowl Champion. And you start bullshitting yourself.) Interviewers like detail: about work programs upstate, about roofing or custodial work or how to operate a forklift. Your voice changed. Its hard, but its rewarding, said BPI participant John Gonzalez. Rivera discreetly pointed him out to Rothenberg. Because of my college education, my time in prison had purpose. People say Hepburn and Tracy. Right: Max Kenner speaks on stage at the screening. With a shaved head and an earring in each ear, he had led the meeting for about two years, with good humor and disciplinelike ones ideal of a staff sergeant, who creates maximum morale but with minimal opportunity for goofing off. Instead of congratulating him, Rivera exclaimed, You gotta accept that getting one degree is enough. He reminded Webb that the point of the Castle was to get out of the Castle, and that the choice of when to leave would not always be left to the resident. I am fully invested in his future, and proud of him and his accomplishments. Shawnta Montgomery had suffered what police described as "an accidental fall down the stairs." The second call to the house came Friday around 9:10 a.m., when Nassau police responded to a 911 call . Bard Prison Initiative students benefit from the wisdom and experience of Bard professors, who hold them to the same high expectations as their main campus students. 4,221 Followers, 4 Following, 172 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Nourished by Shawnta Haircare (@nourishedbyshawnta) nourishedbyshawnta. Sam said, Youre going to have the same river view, and, to make a long story short, it happened. Hall works at theFord Foundation analyzingthe impact of social justice grants an experience he describes as "another Bard" because ofthe experts and cutting-edge ideas. An older resident, Ervin Hunt, known to all as Easy, sat in the rear, to the left. Davids idea of a whisper is putting his hands over his mouth and then yelling, Rivera said in the middle of a meeting, after Rothenberg, doing just that, had urged him to move on from some stalled subject. Student Shawnta Montgomery spoke inspiring words at her graduation ceremony: Inside the walls of a classroom, you escape the walls of a cell and you become an individual again. Montgomery was graduating from theBard Prison Initiative program, featured in the new PBS and Ken Burns documentary,College Behind Bars. Shawnta J Montgomery 1979 Shawnta J Montgomery, born 1979. We have more work to do, as not everyone is convinced. . At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. Shawnta Montgomery, 20, of Roosevelt, is led out of Mineola police headquarters for her arraignment. One psychology class changed his outlook on life. The crime is not who you are, its what you did. David said once, to a journalist who asked, How can you work with these violent criminals?, Well, how would you like to be identified for your entire life by the one worst thing youve ever done? By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Did I ever tell you about the time Edward Albee came to the Castle on a Thursday? Rothenberg said, brightening the silence. Program Specialist Open Society Foundation. And now I totally respect it, because there are elements in my life right now that I wish I didnt understand. Ive never met anyone who O.D.d on marijuana. (Page said that Fortune would never force a client out just for smoking marijuana. He said Montgomery hit her toddler for misbehaving while brushing her teeth Friday morning. There was an endless line of men snaking up the stairs of this theatrical building. Shawnta Montgomery, '17 Peer Recovery Counselor, Fortune Society Now that I've been home for a few years, I appreciate even more what it means to be a Bard alum. Nationally, about 68% of inmates released from state prisons were rearrested within three years of release, according to a Justice Department study. And sometimes people of color introduce themselves that wayI was in prison. But thats not you! PHILADELPHIA Stacks of books are organized meticulously by genre amid the chaos of a maximum security prison. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. Sam Rivera, the charismatic center of the operation, had little executive power within it, and over the years this had created some rubbed-raw feelings between him and the people who did. Posts - see Instagram photos and videos from Nourished by Shawnta Haircare ( @ nourishedbyshawnta ) nourishedbyshawnta heremains on! White people, Rivera exclaimed, you got ta accept that getting one degree is enough to stand all... Dollars from the federal budget used to having anyone take anything from me her for! Of men snaking up the stairs of this theatrical building this should be, like, this should be like. 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