Voices of Hope UPDATE: Busy, Busy, Busy!

The past month has been quite busy with a host of Reentry Film Series broadcasts and distribution:

September 28, 2010 | Frank Talk with Host Gilda Rogers

Second run on Comcast and Verizon Cable- Monmouth County

September 14, 2010 | WGLS-FM Radio 89.7

Interview on Dr. Candace Kelley's League of the Extraordinary

Listen to the Podcast

September 10, 2010 | Faces and Voices of Recovery

Reentry Film Series mentioned as a resource in their bimonthly e-Newsletter. Several people contacted me nationally to use the films to engage people in their states.

September 7, 2010 | Frank Talk with Host Gilda Rogers - 26 minutes

First run on Comcast and Verizon Cable- Monmouth County

Available online

August 26, 2010 | Greater Camden County Renaissance Group

Reentry Films Series linked on website

There are several public access stations across the state who plan to run the series, and I will keep you updated about where they will run. Princeton Community TV has committed to showing all three films and can be viewed on cable channel 30 throughout Princeton Township and Princeton Borough on the Comcast cable system and on channel 45 of Verizon’s FiOS system.

SCREENINGS

October 2, 2010 | NCADD-NJ screened Healing Justice: Transformed Lives for the new class of Advocacy Leaders.

The Reentry Series Screening Guide and Advocacy Toolkit are now ready! To host a film screening in your community Simply go online now and apply for your free DVD, screening guide and advocacy toolkit.

Stay tuned for upcoming screenings!

Please provide a link to the films on your website, facebook, twitter, or linked-in pages. I'll be happy to help facilitate the link exchange so that more people can be educated about the issues of reentry.

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Art Exhibit and Lecture

The Art of Struggle

Sponsored by Voices of Hope Productions

Saturday, October 9th

3:00 - 5:00

United States Political Prisoner, Ojore Luttalo’s art reflects the subterfuge of solitary confinement in the Management Control Unit for 22 years. Bonnie Kerness is a humanitarian on the front line as coordinator of the Prison Watch Project, when it comes to working on behalf of political prisoners.

Luttalo’s art is a collection of ideas enhanced by gripping images that brings light to an unforgiving prison system that aims to maim and destroy political prisoners.

Luttalo’s work is a captivating collage exhibit that reminds us that the freedom of expression, otherwise known as art, is limitless. Come meet the artist, Ojore and hear from activist extraordinaire, Bonnie Kerness about how torture is used in New Jersey and throughout the United States. Art exhibit and lecture will be held at Frank Talk Art, Bistro and Books, 163 Shrewsbury Avenue, Red Bank, NJ.

Why Does New Jersey Hate Formerly Incarcerated People?

On Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 7:30 pm Michael B. Jackson will begin a series of broadcasts asking that question. “The NJ Corrections budget is $1.2 billion a year and still 65 percent of the people who get out of prison are back within 3 years,” says Jackson. “The average person in prison reads on a 5th grade level yet only 2 percent of that $1.2 billion is spent on education programming. NJ ranked 44 out of 50 US states in a national report card for the number of barriers to successful reentry. What’s up with that?”

The series will commence with the NJ Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC). “The Juvenile justice Commission promotes, tolerates and encourages discrimination and human rights violations against it’s employees with prior convictions or incarceration in their backgrounds, by virtue of it’s policies and failure act against, speak against or even acknowledge, such behavior within the JJC, time and time again”, stated Jackson. “ I will begin the series with my own current personal situation of injustice and workplace hostility as a formerly incarcerated employee.”

PNR will also unveil the historic “Counting the Costs”: Public Safety and Prisoner Reentry Bills, that will be introduced and moved for committee and floor votes during the upcoming “lame duck” session of the NJ legislation. “People who care about improving public safety and reducing the costs of incarceration will be excited about these bills,” says Jackson, with a big smile on his face. “Getting these bills through is something the people can rally behind and get done.”

Michael B. Jackson, Founder, Executive Producer and Host of Prison Nation Radio says the broadcasts serves a public service by giving incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people and the prison-affected community a voice and point of view rarely offered in traditional media. The weekly talk formatted broadcast includes guest interviews, listener call-in, news/information updates and art & entertainment with special attention to issues important to the Prison Nation audience. Jackson also covered the entire Counting the Costs hearings which can be heard on his website. Jackson is the Publisher and Author of three books; "How to Do Good After Prison: A Handbook for Successful Reentry," "How to Love & Inspire Your Man After Prison," and "Como Cumplir Con Tus Obligaciones Al Salir De La Prision: Guia practica para una vida mejor."

PNR can be accessed at www.JOINTFX.com. The mailing address is PMB 104, Postnet, 621 Beverly-Rancocas Rd, Willingboro, NJ 08046.

The program call in phone number is 1-347-215-8904.

Inside Out: Voices from New Jersey State Prison

A powerful collection of poems, stories, memoirs and commentaries by 43 inmates who took part in a creative writing workshop. Compiled and edited by Kal Wagenheim, who directed the workshop, similar to one he directed for college students at Columbia University in New York City.