Tag Archives: Osborne Association

Strategies for Effective Advocacy in Criminal Justice Reform

Posted on September 15, 2025 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The four-part series on a successful advocacy campaign led by formerly incarcerated people, and the accompanying research blogs, in one place. Continue reading →

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

Posted on August 27, 2025 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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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Exploring the Legacy of Anti-Blackness in Poetry

Posted on August 6, 2025 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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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A Pearl Comes to Brooklyn

Posted on March 12, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The past month and nearly two weeks I’ve been writing a blog post every day.  When I am in writing mode my overly active imagination goes into overdrive.  I have eureka moments, and even an epiphany or two! This morning … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice Chronicles, Reentry & Community | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Let There Be Light!

Posted on March 11, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Prison is a place where there is an absence of light.  The little bit of light that exists is generated from and emanates from the people imprisoned there. There is a strange architecture around the design of prisons, beginning with … Continue reading →

Posted in Education & Teaching, Justice Chronicles, Reentry & Community | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

An American Odyssey

Posted on March 10, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I like a good story, one reason why I like Greek comedies and tragedies, and I fancy myself a storyteller.  So, I’ll tell you a story. . . Once upon a time (1973), Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York State … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Justice & Punishment, Justice Chronicles, Mother's Messages, Politics & Public Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Words Matter: Another Look at the Question of Language, by Eddie Ellis, President, Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions

Posted on December 17, 2017 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

We need to be constantly reminded about this language: Words matter.  They shape perceptions and understanding, both of past and present events and of future possibilities and, therefore, future events.  Semantic and public acceptance of terms like “formerly incarcerated” or … Continue reading →

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Reentry is an Odyssey

Posted on June 10, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The Odyssey, the epic poem by Homer and the second oldest extant work of Western literature, is a reentry story. It is a story about returning, of trying to get home, of how hard it is to return, of how … Continue reading →

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