Kite Line #39: Dismantling Barriers to Life

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This week features a variety of conversations that we are sharing with you through a partnership with StoryCorps. The event, Dismantling Barriers to Life, was about the impacts of mass incarceration. Dismantling Barriers to Life was hosted last month in Chicago, and these are some of the stories collected for the event. We hear people talk about how incarceration affected their families, ability to get jobs, and their friendships.

The first story will feature a conversation between Jonathan Little and Lamonte Ley. They are from the Back of the Yards neighborhood in Chicago, and they discuss the changes they’ve seen in the neighborhood and reflect on the work that they do. Our second story will feature a conversation between Marty Winefield and Sara Frank. Winefield speaks to his girlfriend, Sara Frank about how his father was absent for a lot of his childhood and how this affected him. Then, we feature a conversation between Chanita Howard and Fres Oquendo. Chanita and Fres are members of CGLA’s Leadership Council, which is a group of people impacted by the criminal justice system and seeks to advocate against barriers to employment. In this story Chanita describes her barriers to employment.

Following that, we hear a conversation between Beverly Houston and Collete Payne about their experiences as women in prison, and the bonds they formed on the inside. The last story will feature Lisa Daniels. On July 22, 2012, Lisa Daniels’ son was killed in a drug deal that went bad. Darren Easterling was 25 years old, a father of two children. In this piece she talks about her son’s story and how she has worked to redefine Darren’s legacy. Daniels founded the Darren B. Easterling Center for Restorative Justice in her son’s honor.