4,221 followers. "When you provide education that's high quality, it's not just a benefit for the individual, but it's a benefit for society.". At BPI, we are committed to investing in people, reinventing institutions and making genuine education more accessible. They have to be sleeping under a bridge before they can officially be classed as homeless. In the late nineteen-nineties, Page came upon the empty Catholic girls school. We have some of the people with the worst records in New York City coming for active services, but no metal detectors. Yet, Bard Prison Initiatives stellar outcomes make it ripe for private philanthropic investment. A language of elaborate indirection fills the room. The Lord, whos represented as African-American, says to an angel, We have to take care of that planet, but dont forget the wing of the sparrow over there. Sam is one of the people taking care of his portion of the planet by taking care of the wings of the sparrow.. As a formerly incarcerated woman who has been working at this for nearly twenty years, I can tell you: could not arrive a better time. The programme is one of the last survivors of Bill Clintons notorious 1994 crime bill, which eliminated federal aid for higher education in jails. Program Associate with the Ford Foundation, Executive Director of College & Community Fellowship. As AEI scholar Gerard Robinsoncommented,The right thing to do is not only give them a second chance, but to also admit the fact that many of them didnt receive a first chance at school.. Montgomery has no criminal record, authorities said. I got my job and my apartment is a motto of success. I told her, Never assume. Thats a line from the Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movie Desk Set. Rothenberg paused. I was driving by a playground once, near where I grew up. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. "If I havesomeone coming home on parole, who do you want living next to you?" One critical part of transitioning is to help someone involved with the justice system get involved with the employment system. As a young man, in the eighties, he was arrested on gun and drug charges, and acknowledges significant lived experience himself. There is this opportunity to convert compassion and concern into action. By the time he got out of prison, he had finished a mathematics major and earned a bachelor's degree from Bard College. You may change your parameters at any time using the link found at the bottom of every email. New York Gov. ), Rivera returned to an image that haunted him. As a child, Kinzel said, he was violent and constantly exposed to illegal activities. I was with my boys, watching a show where theyre imploding a casino, and Im kind of into it. If it were not, BBC Fours two-part Storyville documentary College Behind Bars would be neither interesting nor necessary. Its hard, but its rewarding, said BPI participant John Gonzalez. If you have leadershit, everythings going to be shit, and thats the primary reason why the shelters are such hellscapes. Nourished by Shawnta Haircare. We all know, the stigma of a felony conviction is a lot to overcome. After the passage of the 1994 Crime Bill, Pell Grants were banned for those who are incarcerated. (The right answer is: I love to work with others.) Whats your greatest weakness. of the Fortune Society, explained from her office at the societys administrative headquarters, in Long Island City. I dont know if they realize how essential that support was and continues to be. We become civic beings, says Woon. I dont say that in a disparaging way, but thats what it ispeople are auditioning for acceptance into the program and theyre bringing their A-game to be accepted. Lt. John Azzata, commanding officer of the Nassau police homicide squad. I got involved in a bad situation or I found myself in a circumstance in which someone got hurt segues into the first-person active: Im putting my life together and reconnecting with my family now., Sooner or later, though, the complicated language settles, for a newcomer, into a basic formula of introduction: Ive been away. There is now bipartisan legislation before congress to restore Pell eligibility for people in prison. Malcolm Jenkins Ken Burns Though the two types of study are not mutually exclusive, trades are typically emphasized for certain types of learners at the expense of the liberal arts. When the two screened one of their filmsat aBPI class at Eastern Correctional Facility in New York, the engaging conversation they had with the inmates encouraged them to expose the program to more people. New York City Public Advocate. He got no response. Itwill impact thousands of people's lives, millions over time, and it also makes fiscal sense. My kids do that, Rivera said. Ive come home. At the Thursday meeting last fall, when a recent arrival said that he had been awayperhaps for ten or twenty or thirty yearsthere was a round of applause, and Rivera, officially the associate vice-president of housing at Fortune but in truth its resident guru and presiding demiurge, was there to say, gently, Welcome home, brother.. (The computer room is not a place to come to hang out, he announced as one meeting began. If we can find your foundation, you wont fall. Then Tuesday goes better than you hope, but then Wednesday is really hardyoure hungry. But my job is saving lives now. Im grateful for all you have done to help me see the world more clearly, one said. Nobody fixes you but you. It unpicks and dispels the myth that prisoners time is their own, to use or waste as they wish, and with it the idea that inmates succeed on educational programmes because they have no distractions. Wheres bottom? being firm in the corner, Easy kibbitzing from the side, Rivera went on. The right answer is Clintonesque: I try too hard to get it right.) A young man who wants to be a restaurant cook is guided through an interview in which it becomes apparent that he doesnt know much about cooking. In prison, Rivera recalled, he helped care for sick inmates during the height of the AIDS crisis, and he has done the same sort of work ever since. Being in college gave my brother hope and a purpose. People who have just come home meet interviewers in mock interviews. And that was a lesson learned. All of us, of course, have to learn to navigate the waters of such interviews by telling the truth while putting the best face on previous failures. And he was right.. January 18, 2023 2:32 pm. Rivera hadnt seen the brick, and was startled to learn about it: He pulled out a brick? Dizhawna, who was nicknamed "Da Da," turned 2 on Christmas Day. In 2014, I watched the BPI Debate Union beat West Point and decided to join. We are here because of the compelling stories of those that have been impacted and the fact that their stories of transformations and impacts aren't exceptions, they are the norm, Jones said. Montgomery said. This led to my becoming involved in the criminal-justice system. Directed by Lynn Novick and executive-produced by Ken Burns (maker of the celebrated 1990 series The Civil War and many others, including last years Country Music), it follows several prisoners of New York states Eastern Correctional Facility a maximum-security prison for men and one at Taconic Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison for women. They are investigating who owns the weapon, he said. I submitted my resignation today.. Its hard coming from doing a whole lot of time. shawnta montgomery now. That is because of the determination of formerly-incarcerated advocates and leaders across the country. I enrolled in BPIs first cohort and graduated in 2009. The most effective argument at the time (and likely today) is that taxpayer dollars should not subsidize free college for criminals, especially when the majority of the nation cannot afford it. Its valuable that Sam has lived experience, Page said. How do you know youve hit bottom? View Shawnta Montgomery's record in Gaffney, SC including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Executive Director of College & Community Fellowship. Also, investigators on Friday arrested Montgomery's boyfriend, Benjamin Smith, when they discovered he was wanted by Virginia authorities for attempted murder, Azzata said. And at about the third floor it caved in and the guy said, Wow! I ran Thursday meeting for years, and then Stanley didthe Fortune vice-presidentand then Sam, Page said. He lives in Teaneck, New Jersey, and has two teen-age sons and a daughter in her twenties. Everyone backslides or has a bad day. The Fortune facethats what I call what you see in the Thursday-night performance space, E. explained. He was at home, wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt and sitting in front of a picture of the Buddhaan accidental but telling juxtaposition. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Rivera and Rothenberg were like a couple who had been working in a hardware store for too many decades; they enjoyed each other and gibed at each other, and by now the enjoyment had become the gibing. The charges each carry a potential penalty of up to 25 years in prison. The river view is a nice view. I couldnt have stood there with this guy spitting in my face saying the things he was saying. Film subjects and crew speak on stage at the special screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS at The Apollo Theater on November 12, 2019 in New York City. Sam was talking back to him in this very mellow, in this Zen way, Webb went on, but I noticed that he was holding a radio, and it was physically impossible that he could have tightened his hand on that radio any harder than he was. 'You don't know what you did for me': Released from prison by Obama, now on the dean's list. The vast majority of participants have never experienced an education that called upon them to ask these questions. Tune in to the broadcast premiere on PBS. The crime is not who you are.. Theres nothing you could do., Heres the deal, Rivera said. So thats the only bottom I want to hit. Max Kenner Yet, there is one intrinsic benefit to the classical studies Bard Prison Initiative students undertake: They grapple with texts and are drawn into stories that speak of the age-old struggles of the human condition. 2023 Cond Nast. Nassau County police said Monday that Shawnta Montgomery of Roosevelt was arrested after an autopsy revealed that her daughter, Dishawna, died Friday from a lacerated liver. One student, Rodney Spivey-Jones, nearly loses everything when a guard takes exception to the language used in one of his short stories and deems it a punishable offence. While reading books and writing essays in my cell, often late at night when it was quiet, the prison walls faded, my loneliness faded, and I became free. View 1 Shawnta Montgomery and Tamika Graham Photos Show Tamika . Youre gonna lose your freedom. Late night studying. Asnuntuck Community College in northern Connecticut, for example, is feeling the effects of expanding Pell Grants to prisoners. Page emphasizes the societys open doors policy. Shawnta Montgomery Pictures . And then you get to know the person, as opposed to the audition. Because of my college education, my time in prison had purpose. Shawnta Montgomery, '17 Peer Recovery Counselor, Fortune Society Now that I've been home for a few years, I appreciate even more what it means to be a Bard alum. Canvass Director at JustLeadershipUSA and the Lead National Organizer for Beyond the Box Initiative. When you feel threatened, dont react. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. I am so glad that the cameras were there that day, because what happened on that stage, and what is happening at BPI, will change Americas understanding of who incarcerated people are, and what they are capable of. Its likeyou know, Ive been thinking a lot lately about diets. Theres an architecture of the room that I rely onE. "We need to be careful to make sure that the level of quality that we received with our education is kept intact," Hall said. First-year students at Eastern Correctional Facility. Tell me, if I do will anything come up? The candidate, trained in previous classes, struggled to recall the ideal answer, which is something like: Yes, when I was younger and behaving stupidly, an unfortunate situation occurred and someone got badly hurt. One Thursday, Shawnta Montgomery, who loves to tease Rivera for his sincerity and self-seriousness, was on the right, too, closer up. Resignation not accepted! Easy called out, in turn. More than half the people coming out of state prison to New York City right now are being dumped in shelters. Montgomery and Smith moved from Virginia to Roosevelt last month to stay with Smith's mother, Beverly German. Then on Sunday, detectives arrested Montgomery after she "made admissions to us of striking that child multiple times," said Det. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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