The Prison Peace Tour
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The Birth of Peace: Increasing the Peace for a Nu World
In order to better serve incarcerated individuals
Womb Work Productions (WWP) and the Friend of a
Friend program of the American Friends Service Committee-Middle Atlantic Regions Maryland Peace with
Justice Program have built a strong collaborative relationship. WWP conducted several intensive performing arts workshops at the Jessup Correctional Institution where Friend of a Friend conducts its conflict
resolution/mentoring program. These workshops included drumming, dance, vocal training and acting. The
Nu World Art Ensemble of WWP assisted in these
workshops. Members of a Friend of a Friend had the
opportunity to flex their creative muscles, and were
eager to understand the dynamics of creative writing,
acting, memorizing lines, learning choreography, and
gaining a general understanding of the theatrical process.
We faced a few challenges in our collective endeavor that temporarily impeded our ability. One of the main issues
resulted from age restrictions barring Nu World Art Ensemble members (who were under the age of 18) from facilitating
the performing arts workshops. Another issue was the regulations limiting the access of civilian populations to prison
populations based on prior offenses or other infractions mentioned within the Maryland statue. But those challenges
were overcome by the Friend of a Friend participants' enthusiasm to take over acting roles within the original, Birth of
Peace production which took place on November 14, 2009 for an audience of 250 including prisoners and staff. The JCI
Friend of a Friend Program shared effective conflict resolution strategies with Nu World Art Ensemble members who also
shared their extensive performing arts skills.
Prisoners Embrace Message of Peace by Tyrone M. Colbert
Peace is possible. Is the message delivered by Womb Work Production The Birth of Peace at the Jessup Correctional Institution (JCI) before 150 inquisitive stares of inmates and some staff.
Last November long before the sun rose, the Baltimore based production company, made up of male and female, both young
and old came into the maximum security institution to present a powerful urban musical about love and hate through the lens of
two young lovers separated by colors. The Birth of Peace was a voice with which decries the violence, gangs, incarceration and slavery that strikes at the core of the African American experience.
Mama Kay Lawal Muhammad and Mama Rashida Forman-Bey directed this dynamic cast of twenty-one Baltimore cast members, and
twenty inmates who are a part of the American Friends Service Group Mentoring Program directed by Dominque Stevenson. Mama
Kay and Mama Rashida worked with the reluctant inmates three months prior to the show. Most had no theatrical experience, and
were apprehensive to sing and dance in front of fellow inmates. (Continued on Page 2)
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Prisoners Embrace Message of Peace (Continued from Page 1)
However, Mama Kay
and Mama Rashida were
not intimidated by prison
stereotypes or the men's
formidable exterior. The
directors mold and shaped
men, some whom have
been incarcerated for decades into solid thespians.
If you would like to
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contact Po Box
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Baltimore,
Maryland
21212
By the day of the
production, twenty inmates
were singing songs like /
Want to Live, which was
written by Mama Rashida
and dancing African traditional steps to the drum
along side the cast. The fact
that they were imprisoned
behind imposing barb-wire,
thick concrete with the
ever present eyes of correctional officers was not
noticed. The inmates conducted themselves appropriately, and treated the
cast with respect.
The day of the performance began at six a.m.
for the inmates and eight
a.m. for the production
cast. Once everyone was
together in the gymnasium,
the distinction between
cast and inmates blurred
into one prodigious coalition of devoted artists.
Forty-one men and women
joined hands in an enormous circle to acquaint
themselves, then ushered in
the spirit of unity. They
rehearsed and rehearsed, in
Performance of Birth of Peace
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between laughs and the
stern commands of Mama
Kay right up to the moment the musical opened at
twelve in the afternoon.
The production program
stated that The Birth of
Peace is a rebellious, funny
and
poignant
musical
drama. The play opened
with a solo rendition by
inmate and Kenyan born
Willie Karanja playing a
guitar while singing Bob
Mariey's Redemption Song.
Several writer's club members performed powerful
spoken word that induced
rousing adulation from the
audience. From there the
musical shifted into high
gear with 12 scenes which
addressed the issues of
gangs deadly history in
America, a stirring portrayal of the atrocity of
slave auctions, the metaphysical birthing ritual and
an unique perspective on
the prison industrial complex. The population was
treated to West African
choreography comprised of
accomplished dancers that
were indeed a sight for
sore eyes. Inmate Twist
played the lead opposite
the very lovely, and credible actress Stevanie Williams. His performance and
improvisation stole the
show.
The message of self-
destruction and the importance of maintaining our
ancestor's spirituality was
not lost on the inmate
population. For weeks after
the production concluded,
inmates discussed how the
musical personally touched
them. The administration,
through the office of Sergeant Sonji Lynn, the JCI
Volunteer Activities Coordinator has received numerous requests to have
the production return. It is
all too obvious that The
Birth of Peace had reached
the hearts and minds of the
inmate population.
Two hours later, the
cast, all dressed in black tee
shirts stood with their
palms interlocked before
the beaming audience and
sung in a chorus that can
only be described as heavenly "Increase the peace for
a Nu World." Cast members signed autographs and
conversed with an appreciative audience for a good
30 minutes before they
gradually sauntered out
with tears in the swells of
their eyes, and thankful
waves to their comrades.
Truth be told, they were
not the only ones crying.
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Letters from the Inside
11/16/09 Donald R. Thompson 163203 A­214 Dear Sir: I just want to take this Opportunity to thank you, Asst Warden C. Peay, Security Chief A.Gang and Sgt. S. Lynn for sanctioning the play performed by WombWork Productions Inc." and "A Friend of A Friend." P AGE
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Letters to the Brothers at JCI:
You guys are an inspiration! Your dedication to the art and
your willingness to keep going under the most trying circumstances praises you and your ancestors! Know you are
never alone in there… I didn’t want to visit you guys, because everyday I am abundantly aware that our most talented, beautiful and capable brothers are behind concrete
and barbed-wire fences. I thought I would be suffocated
under the weight of your cross. But what I found when I
saw your show, met each one, spoke to you, is that instead
of feeling the walls close in I felt them open up. I am with
you! You are with me. And I am forever changed for our
friendship.
The play was riveting. It was educational. It was insightful. It was entertaining. It was inspiring. It was soul­jerking. It was also If we never meet again, know you’re always in my heart,
helpful in a practical way, as I m steering my thoughts and prayers!
troubled sixteen­year­old nephew towards Sister Keekee
"WombWork Productions Inc." I don’t know what all you guys are in for, or how you got
I feel fortunate that I was one of the 150 where you got. But I learned so much wisdom from talking
who made the final cut. In hindsight, it is to you. I will take these pearls and apply them to my life.
regrettable that the play wasn’t videotaped so Talking with all the brothers, particularly Brother Adisa, but
that­­via DVD­­others in this prison (and per­ all you guys who I forgot your names, I found out a lot
haps prisons throughout MD. Doc) could get an about myself and the world. I had a lot of fun working with
opportunity to be illuminated by this wonder­ you guys, and hope to do it again! Peace!
ful experience. Brother Norman
Sir, never in my life have I even considered donating funds to any organization or group. Even so, I m at this very moment in the proc­ ess of making a donation to "WombWork Produc­ tions, Inc. I took so much from those actors and actresses that I am compelled to somehow reciprocate. Again, thank you and your entire staff. Sincerely, Donald R. Thompson
If knowledge is power, if it is to be, is up to we! Minute by
minute, hour by hour if we keep our faith, we keep our
power. It was great to experience life through your eyes. It
was great to put on a positive production with your assistance, you’re great artists, you’re great scholars – and stay
strong, stay focused, and see you on the other side.
Sending you Positive Energy!!
Give a shout out to Adisa, Stay Strong! Keep doing pushups!
Give a shout out to Avion!!! Great seeing you after all this
time!
Tobias Johnson (Avion’s nephew)
Working with you guys, it gave me a different look at people
that are locked up – that all of them are not hardened criminals. I really enjoyed working with you, it was very respectful. Looking forward to working with you guys again.
No matter what it looks like now, it will not always be. The
great God of the universe is always watching, so he knows
what you need, more than you know what you’ll ever
need! Take this time to reflect on your life, so when freedom comes at your door, you will be able to embrace it and
not take off and run from it.
Sister Akifa
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BOOKSTORE
The Greatest Threat: The Black Panther Party and COINTELPRO by
Marshall Edward Conway
The Greatest Threat puts the government’s war on the Panthers into historical context.
Marshall “Eddie” Conway, a veteran of the Black Panther Party who has been held as a
political prisoner for four decades, has compiled the available documentation and research on COINTELPRO, and traced its dirty history, from the active repression of the
black revolutionary movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s, to the conditions of Black
America today and the dozens of political prisoners who remain in U.S. prisons on
charges stemming from their involvement in the Black liberation movement.
iAMWE Publications, January 2010
PO 4628
Baltimore 21212
Ordering information: [email protected]
Blues Before Sunrise A novel by Dominque Stevenson $10 for prisoners iAMWE Publications, January 2010
PO 4628
Baltimore 21212
Coming this Summer Marshall Law: The Life and Times of a Baltimore Black Panther,
by Marshall “Eddie” Conway
In 1970, the feds framed Eddie Conway for the murder of a Baltimore
City Police officer. He was 24 years old. They threw him in prison, took
him away from his family, his friends, and his organizing, and tried to relegate him to a life marked by nothing but legal appeals, riots and lockdowns, transfers from one penal colony to the next. But they failed.
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TOWARDS A UNITED FRONT REVISITED
In “Blood in My Eyes” George
Jackson wrote an essay untitled
"Towards a United Front". This
essay was his analysis of the relationship between prisoners, the
prison movement, and how these
two entities could be used to
organize poor and oppressed
communities into being self sufficient on all levels.
The basis of his analysis
was that as a result of the political repression that was waged
against the Black Panther Party,
Civil Right Groups, Protesters
against the War in Vietnam, and
other forms of civil disobedience
prison had become institutions
that were producing activists.
This activism would lead to national and international prison
movements around freeing political prisoners, prisoners of war
and the outright abolishment of
prisons. George Jackson viewed
these dynamics as having the
potential to unite activists into a
non-sectarian united Front. He
observed in his analysis that the
sheer number of people either
imprisoned or under the control
of the criminal injustice system
i.e., on parole, probation or conditional release, created an environment ripe for organizing.
We are now a decade
into the Twenty-First century, the
prison population has grown to
over a million people and the
socio-economic conditions that
exist in poor and oppressed communities are equal to those of
refugee camps. California has the
largest prison system in America. The guard union is equal to that
of the AFL-CIO and Teamsters in
exercising political influence on
the state and local government.
California prisons account for
over 40 of the States Budgets and
is currently under court order to
reduce overcrowding. These
conditions are not exclusive to
California but all prisons in America. Economically depressed communities are begging the Federal
Gov’t to give them a prison. Pris-
by Mansa Musa
oners are the new cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, and commodity.
The vast human reservoir
that George Jackson spoke about
in his essay is systematically being
trained to be predators in our
communities. In our attempt to
reverse this process we should
revisit George Jackson's theory of
utilizing the potential of the
prison population to gain control
over our communities.
The present prison system has severely limited the
amount of exposure prisoners
have to their communities. And
has discouraged prisoners from
engaging in conscious raising activities either by labeling them as
gang or Security Threat Groups
(STG). Despite these obstacles
the potential still exists for tapping into this vast reservoir.
George Jackson’s analysis of building a united front started with the
Prison Movement. This was because of the consciousness of the
people involved in the prison
movement. The prison movement
isn't as effective as it was during
the period when George Jackson
made this analysis. There still
exists a set of factors that can be
used to build a United Front at
the local level. Organizations such
as WombWork and groups like
Friend of a Friend can serve to
represent the organizational link
necessary to forge a United
Front.
Friend of a Friend is responsible for mentoring prisoners. The spirit of Friend of a
Friend can best be summarized by
a quote from George Jackson in
Prison Letters "I met. . . George
"Big Jake" Lewis and James Can,
W.L. Nolen, Bill Christmas, Terry
Gibson and many, many others.
We attempted to transform the
black criminal mentality into a
black revolutionary mentality."
Friend of a Friend is in the position to change the thinking of
prisoners throughout the prison
system. Our program gives us
access to prisoners in an environ-
ment where learning is mandatory. We encourage prisoners to
be critical thinkers, to have a
dialectical outlook, to transform
their thinking into being an activist for social changes to our communities. Many prisoners we
mentor will be retuning to Baltimore and the Metropolitan areas.
They will need to be transitioned
back into their communities. This
is where groups like WombWork
can be instrumental. WombWork
can build a coalition with other
groups to change the debate
around prisons, offenders and exoffenders, in addition to changing
prisoner's relationships with their
communities.
We can make working
with Womb Work a condition of
parole, probation and other obligations to the state. Womb
Work program services can be
used as a referral for community
services. WombWork can network with Juvenile Services to
create a structure program for
juveniles by using Friends of a
Friend and other groups. The
courts, law enforcement, and the
executive branch have the power
to issue writs. These writs can be
used to transport prisoners to
juvenile facilities, schools, or
other activities to be mentors.
We can lobby the Division of
Correction, Legislators, and various social services to create a
child support system where the
incarcerated parent earns days off
his or her sentence for paying
child support. Most prisoners
have some form of an institutional
job and would be more then willing have his wages or account
garnished if it would reduce his
sentence.
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Brotherman
"KUUMBA"
This column will be a regular part of this newsletter; it fea­ tures the feelings and thoughts of Brotherman, our man on the job. Who is Brotherman? Brotherman is a voice from the population, and a member of Friend of a Friend (FOF). FOF is an organization com­ mitted to helping members emancipate themselves from the psychological detriments caused by unhealthy habits, hang­ ups and hurts. What is meant by unhealthy habits, hang­ups and hurts? Here, Brotherman is speaking of the things that have so many young men and women coming into the prison system at such an alarming rate. These issues are turning our communities into war zones. It is time to free our minds and ourselves and stop the fratri­ cide. Create the village that is necessary to raise the child so that we may once again dream in greatness. I could go on and on, but ' nough said for now, Brotherman just wanted to introduce himself, make his presence known. He will be back for each addition of this newsletter, so hold on. Brotherman
(Creativity)
Whenever Mom goes to the grocery store.
To shop for all items and ingredients.
To prepare recipes/ that have been passed down/ from the
cooks in the family.
Who all shared the same passions/ of making meals/ and baking
cakes or pies.
For the phenomenal pleasure/ of watching her household enjoy
every morsel together.
No different/ than when her siblings'/ Father/ Mother/ and
her.
Delighted in the same occasions/ while in each others company.
At the dinner table...
The aromas/ tastes/ and the feeling of receiving ones fill.
May reflect the Mother's creativity/ to her relatives.
When the compliments to the chef/ is displayed by someone else
doing the dishes.
HAPPY KWANZAA!!!!
by: Joseph M. Ward-Bey
#302-468
"I used a photo of Pac, turned it blue, and added the
tear drop and highlights to portray that even the
strong feel pain. I call this, Tears In Blue.”
To contact
WombWork or
the American Friends Service Committee
PO 4628
Baltimore 21212
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