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Broad Coalition Urges States to Reject CCA's Offer to Purchase State Prisons
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Guest Blog: Voices from Sending Solidarity
The Contender
Written by K.G.
Surely one learns,
Through suffering and pain in life as it
Twists and turns
When struggles arise I see my true ability,
It hurts when friends turn to associates,
then eventually enemies.
Words are uttered into the heart, and at
First believed.
The words uttered in time are shown to
Have one deceived.
Faces smile though thoughts plot.
It is exposed through character which
They cannot stop.
What the reflection reveals is only half,
But unravels many memories from a far
Past.
Surely one remembers,
From January to December,
The suffering, struggle and
Lies, but I rise above: The Contender.
The words of this youth contain basic truths we forget in the face of budget cuts, policy reform and legislation hearings. We have all faced suffering and pain, and our behavior and responses are molded by each hurt. These hurts and our response color our world and our work. We all share in the struggle: directors of organizations; youth searching for themselves behind bars and in the free world; advocates; legislators; and policy makers.
Words surround us, and positive or negative, they take hold in our heart. Words are as fossils in the sand and take root where they land and speak to those who begin to dig. Through constant questioning and discernment, each of us rubs down the foggy mirror in wonder at the reflections of our lives. Countless youth locked up behind bars have time to reflect but are given only pieces of the puzzle as they reconstruct their lives. Collectively, we retell the same stories of past experiences, each time discovering a new truth, understanding the importance of change through action.
To stand in solidarity with incarcerated youth is to reject the lie that any one person is less important than the rest. Our youth were never meant to live in isolation, apart from their communities, separate from those who would help them discover their courage and wisdom. We must rise above the history that keeps youth separate, silenced, a
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