Monthly Archives: August 2025

Research as Resistance: Building Knowledge Together in the Fight for Parole Justice

A personal teaser for our participatory research installment—from early John Jay studies to peer‑reviewed scholarship and today’s lived‑expertise framework. Continue reading

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The Anatomy of Advocacy, Part 3: Strategy in Action – How They Won the Fight

Inside the research, coalitions, and bipartisan sponsorship that led to Chapter 310 of the Laws of 2008 and discharges from lifetime parole. Continue reading

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The Anatomy of Advocacy, Part 2: Birth of the Ad Hoc Committee on Lifetime Parole

How directly impacted New Yorkers formed the Ad Hoc Committee on Lifetime Parole and chose a winning strategy to change the law. Continue reading

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The Anatomy of Advocacy, Part 1: How “Tough on Crime” Politics Reshaped Justice in New York

How Governor Pataki’s ‘tough on crime’ agenda and Jenna’s Law reshaped parole and sentencing in New York—and set the stage for grassroots reform. Continue reading

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The Anatomy of Advocacy: Transforming Criminal “Justice” in New York

Starting July 13, 2025, a Four-Part Series titled “The Anatomy of Advocacy” will explore a criminal legal system advocacy movement led by formerly incarcerated individuals. It highlights New York’s “tough on crime” era, the formation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Lifetime Parole, strategic campaigning, and lessons learned for successful advocacy efforts. Continue reading

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Exploring the Legacy of Anti-Blackness in Poetry

I have been working on The Black Blood of Poetry for several years. Over the next 30 days, I will be revising the manuscript to submit to contests and publishers. My Artist Statement about The Black Blood of Poetry: The … Continue reading

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