TODAY IS THE SECOND MEETING OF OUR GROUP, SOMEONE TOLD ME WELL….ALL WE WILL DO IS SAY WHAT WE THINK SOMEONE WANTS TO HEAR OR MAKE OURSELFS THE VICTIMS, SO, MY FIRST QUESTION TO THE GROUP IS ARE YOU OKAY WITH BEING CALLED ON YOUR B.S.? CAN WE BE HONEST ENOUGH THAT YES THE FACTS ARE WE WERE NOT GOOD MOTHERS, WE COMMITED CRIMES THAT BROUGHT US TO PRISON, AND YEAH WE WERE AND ARE PERPETRATORS, WE ALL LEFT A SEA OF VICTIMS IN OUR WAKE? OVERWHELMINGLY, AND IN UNISON THEY SAID YES. IF WE ARE NOT TRUTHFUL WE CANNOT EFFECTIVELY USE OUR VOICE. THE MOTTO OF OUR GROUP IS
yesterday we were cowards forever bending the truth to fit our lies, today let’s be brave and use our truth to expose our lies, being accountable to the wrongs and no more hiding from our shame, standing strong with one another showing the world that we can change.
ISNT THIS THE GOAL? CHANGE…AS WE WILL ALMOST ALL COME BACK OUT TO SOCIETY AND BE NEIGHBORS, COWORKERS, FRIENDS, AND EVEN MOTHERS IN PTA MEETINGS. THE IDEA OF INCARCERATION HAS TO CHANGE FOR ANYTHING TO BE DIFFERENT. WE WANT TO START THAT, START CONVERSATIONS CHALLENGE THE STATUS-QUO.
FOLLOW THIS MOVEMENT AND GET INVOLVED.
#USTOO
MICHELLE MARTIN
DOC #380689
Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice:
let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities,
O Lord, who shall stand?
But there is forgiveness with thee,
that thou mayest be feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait,
and in his word do I hope.
My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning:
I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
Let Israel hope in the Lord:
for with the Lord there is mercy,
and with him is plenteous redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
(psalm 130).
We may not have been able to do anything other than what we did, we may not have had access to behaving any differently, but the key component in change is realizing that we are never the less responsible for our being in the world.
I applaud your honesty and your commitment to make changes for the good. Keep it up.
Thank you for all your wonderful comments..praise God he opened the doors for me..and i am free..and he who started a good work will finish it..i look forward to starting this movement full force very soon..thank u for your support..michelle. #ustoo
Michelle I back your 100 percent. We have to admit our wrongs in order to make change. We have to show the world we are new and better people. There are many obstacles we have to overcome after incarceration, Housing and employment are two of the big ones. We need to fight for new laws to be passed that would prevent discrimination against previously convicted felons so that we may obtain equal job opportunities and housing. We have served that time we have paid our debt to society therefore we should have equal opportunities as the next person. I look forward to see where your movement goes and I will back you and follow you in all your quest. I’m so very proud of you.
DOC #396555
As I have been transitioning back….it has been much harder than I thought… employment has been extremely difficult…staffing agencies have denied me because of my past…and I have been gently let go from two jobs because a costumer has recognized me and the companies say it is bad for their business..therefore supporting myself has been a challenge but…God has brought me thru worse…in December of this year I will be doing a TED talk and I am super excited to be a part of the amazing platform of Ted talks….I hope to spread the word about the effects of incarceration..