I made this flyer for the Coalition to Abolish Death by Incarceration (CADBI)’s Mother’s Day Rally, which was yesterday.
I struggle with creating images for media related to incarceration because there are so many tired tropes (birds flying, hands breaking free from cuffs, bars being torn open, and of course, letters!) I have spent time in jail but never prison and in fact I’ve never even visited someone in prison, so I want to be careful that I don’t misrepresent an experience I don’t know first hand. When I was brainstorming images for the flyer using Mother’s Day cards seemed like a perfect way to represent how mothers and children stay connected when one of them is incarcerated.
This choice was validated at the rally yesterday when mothers mentioned the cards their children send them while speaking to the crowd. Their words were heartbreaking. I feel grateful to have had the honor to be in the room with so many incredible people sharing their stories and speaking truth to power. An important reminder that Mother’s Day is a hard holiday for families separated by the prison system. My friend Suzy edited a video of some of the speakers, all mothers and sisters of people who are incarcerated. Please take a few minutes to watch and hear their stories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNIRF0jhZvI There’s also some great coverage of the rally and march here: http://billypenn.com/2016/05/07/the-hardest-holiday-mothers-day-for-philly-moms-with-kids-in-prison/
