This story was written by Dr. Tiyi Morris
On October 30th, five students from my Spring 2024 Civil Rights and Black Power class at Southeastern Correctional Institution (SCI), participated in the Alliance inaugural Incarcerated Scholars Conference (ISC). This virtual two-day event required a great deal of behind the scenes work to coordinate participation from incarcerated people across the country. We appreciate the efforts of the Alliance staff and SCI staff in making our participation possible. The magnitude of this event was not lost on the panelists – this was the Alliance’s first public conference focusing solely on the intellectual pursuits of incarcerated scholars. It was an honor to have been chosen to present. And although the students were well-prepared, they were all a little nervous just before our session began.
OPEEP student panelists Jacob, Jesse, Eriq, Aaron, and Rashad discussed how transformative their experiences of taking classes with OSU campus students have been and how learning about the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements enhanced their understanding of activism, leadership, and social justice. Their participation in the class also laid a foundation for rewarding conversations with men at SCI outside of class and with family members. For Rashad, Jesse, and Eriq, this was their first OPEEP class; for Aaron and Jacob, their fourth. Despite the number of classes taken, they each offered insightful commentary about the impact of the content and the unique learning environment of OPEEP classes.
Eriq, Rashad, and Aaron highlighted the centrality of Black women’s leadership to the Movement and how understanding Black women’s marginalization during the Movement and in the historical record gave them better insight into the ways sexism manifests in their own lives and how they now understand their responsibility to address patriarchal oppression. Jacob and Jesse discussed how OPEEP classes provide a space for intellectual engagement and exchange that is uncommon in prisons and affords the men an opportunity to discover, develop, and expand their intellectual interests. Jesse described how the class helped him become a better version of himself, stating, “When I was removed from my negative environment and shown a subject that I could devote my time and effort to, my behavior and demeanor changed. That change helped me to find other people that care about positive development.” The ISC was another opportunity for the men to showcase their intellectual growth and nurture their positive development.
The presentations were well received. And although we could not see the audience members, they provided lots of positive and encouraging comments in the chat. Participating in this conference was an exciting event that solidified the men’s identity as scholars. We hope that OPEEP students at other facilities will be able to participate in future Alliance conferences.
