Monthly Archives: March 2022

Mommy

Posted on March 31, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Some people have a fear of growing old.  Some people die young.  Those who fear growing old, methinks they wouldn’t want the alternative, dying young.  Dying young shortens the timeline to fulfill dreams, to see the world, to see your … Continue reading →

Posted in being a teenager, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, ezwwaters, Family, Lest We Forget, Mother's Messages, raising black boys, Relationships | 3 Comments

Aunt Willie

Posted on March 30, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Aunt Willie My Aunt Willie is the cool aunt, the cultured aunt. When my mother passed away when I was seventeen, Aunt Willie became the closest thing to a mother I had. She never forgot my birthday, to this very … Continue reading →

Posted in being a teenager, ezwwaters, Family, Fatherhood, Fathers, raising black boys, Relationships | Leave a comment

Vision: To See What Others Can’t

Posted on March 29, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In my work in the last twenty years in the nonprofit arena, I have met and collaborated with dynamic women leaders.  They all had different skill sets and strengths.  Some were fabulous fundraisers, others were powerful public speakers, and yet … Continue reading →

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Phenomenal Women Are Everywhere!

Posted on March 28, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

As we wind down this Women’s History Month, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the phenomenal women, Juliette, Giovanni, Belinda, and Irma, on ReServe’s leadership team who have helped me manage one of the organization’s remits with a … Continue reading →

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The Amazing Grace of The Most Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson

Posted on March 27, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Two months ago I didn’t know who Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was.  Today, the whole world should know her.  The whole world should be in awe of her amazing grace in the face of an unprecedented attack on a U.S. … Continue reading →

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“Life Sentence”

Posted on March 26, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In my post, “The Anatomy of Advocacy – In High Heels,” I mentioned how the successful advocacy of the Ad Hoc Committee on Lifetime Parole was a much longer, untold story.  This is another part of the story. In addition … Continue reading →

Posted in being a teenager, crime, ezwwaters, Justice Chronicles, juveniles, Lest We Forget, Life Sentences, Murder, Parole, parole board, Politics, race, raising black boys, Reentry, remorse, Streets of Rage, urban decay, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Anatomy of Advocacy – In High Heels

Posted on March 25, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 1998, the New York State Legislature passed Jenna’s law, named after Jenna Grieshaber, a 22-year-old white female nursing student killed by Nicholas Eugene Pryor, a Black male who had previously been on parole.  Governor Pataki exploited Jenna’s tragic death … Continue reading →

Posted in crime, Justice Chronicles, Lest We Forget, Life Sentences, Parole, parole board, race, Reentry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

On the Brink

Posted on March 24, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Justice in America seems to almost always be on the brink of being realized.  More accurately, what we think of as justice. . . . Justice, sometimes, intersects with poetry. At the crossroads of justice and poetry, I met Kathy … Continue reading →

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The Prison Portal

Posted on March 23, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Poets are on a quest to find a word that is worth a thousand pictures.  I don’t know if there’s a poetry gene, but there’s connective tissue joining poets.  Even before I know a writer is a poet – a … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, ezwwaters, Justice Chronicles, Poetry, Reentry, Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’m Driving as Fast as I Can

Posted on March 22, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Bell Gayle Chevigny is another woman I met through my work with PEN America Center’s Prison Writing Program (PWP).  She is also the editor of Doing Time: 25 Years of Prison Writing, an anthology of some of the best writing … Continue reading →

Posted in crime, ezwwaters, Justice Chronicles, Lest We Forget, Life Sentences, Murder, Parole, Poetry, Politics, race, raising black boys, Reentry, Relationships, remorse | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment