by Edaleene Smith, CCWF
In this issue of The Fire Inside we focus on the critical role of peer health counselors and educators in building strength and unity among women prisoners. Against the odds, and often at risk of retribution from the prison authorities, these women make sure that other sisters are educated and supported in dealing with their health–from HIV to Hepatitis C, cancer to how to survive life inside the walls. A recent book, Focus on Living by Roslyn Banish, features two peer counselors from CCWF. We are proud to print this review of their work.
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My name is Edaleene Smith. I’m a long-termer with a sentence of 36 years. I’ve been in prison for almost 6 years. I want to tell you about two peer counselors who wrote their life stories to help teach other women in prison. When I first came over the wall from A Yard I feared so many things: the signs all over the place warning us about Hepatitis C and HIV; being surrounded by so many sick, infected people; and being afraid that I would die. I was thinking, “How could I live a normal life in prison around so many sick women?” At the time I didn’t know that two peer counselors BH and JR were sick.
They both reached out to me with open arms. They are always helping someone and teaching about good health. From them I learned how to take it one day at a time, dealing with my time and realizing that at any given time one could get sick. I learned from BH and JR not to mistreat or be scared of women who are ill, and learned more about myself. Just the fact that these two women who are both sick can help others made me a believer. I know that I am not better than anyone who has HIV or Hep C because it’s a fight for everyone to stay alive every day. I know now that people who are sick can also live strong and healthy lives.
Thank you BH and JR for sharing your stories and teaching other people to become strong, to believe in ourselves and to know that we all can live normal lives.
Category: Issue 26 – Winter 2003-04
by Karen Diers
The Northern California Coalition for Women Prisoners was launched on October 21 with a showing of Truth to Power: Women Prisoners Testify at Legislative Hearings. The event was held at Humboldt State University in Arcata, Ca. and co-sponsored by the Women’s Center on campus and Bar None. It was attended by about 25 students and members of the wider community.
Before the video, members of NCCWP–Liz, Alex and Jessica–read selections of poetry from Our Voices Within: Healing From the Inside Out. After the video, there was a lively discussion. Many people in the audience seemed to have similar experiences to those described by the testimonies. Amy of the campus Rape Crisis Center offered the center’s services to anyone who needed them. Several people showed interest in joining the newly formed NCCWP.
We were sorry that Stormy Ogden, who was to lead the discussion, could not be there due to an illness. We wish her speedy recovery.
On a rainy evening in San Francisco, thousands of people joined the annual Dia de los Muertos procession which ended in Garfield Park in San Francisco’s Mission district. There, under a large, leafy tree decorated with dozens of handmade tin foil birds was a beautiful altar dedicated to the many women who have died in California’s prisons, many from medical neglect. Pictures of Patty Contreras, Charisse Shumate, Gina Muñiz, Sherrie Chapman and many others were lit up by candles. Each picture was surrounded by flowers, sugar skulls, pan del muerto and the woman’s favorite objects – from chocolate bars to cigarettes. Throughout the evening people stopped to gaze at the display. Many stayed to talk, ask questions and find out how they could become involved in the effort to stop the gross health care violations inside the prisons. All were clearly moved by this loving memorial which honored not only the women but also the families who suffered such horrible losses.
The altar was done in collaboration with the women inside who sent photos, memorials from the prison chapel, and their own memories of their sisters inside. On the outside, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, Justice Now, Out of Control Lesbian Committee for Women Prisoners, California Prison Focus, and community artists worked with family members to make the altar a reality.
On November 1, 2003, The Action Committee For Women In Prison(ACWIP) held its very first fund raiser, The Dia De Los Muertos., in Los Angeles. The event was designed to honor all women who have ever been victims of violence, and the lives of these women were commemorated with beautiful and poignant altars. Artist Edith Abeyta contributed a powerful and touching installation entitled “I Miss You”. The event featured great food, raffles, a silent auction, and fabulous live music provided by Jamie Green and Frankie Trush. The uniqueness of the event was marked by the presence of four women who had served life sentences together at The California Institution for Women: Cheryl Minicelli, Susan Deering, Cheryl Sellers, and Gloria Killian who is now the Executive Director of ACWIP. Another lifer, Yolanda Ochoa, who recently passed away while in custody, was present in spirit and represented on stage by her daughter, Mona Infante, who drove up from San Diego in honor of the event. Although the event was successful as a fund raiser, the real joy of the evening came from demonstrating the beauty and power present in the lives of women who are too often marginalized and forgotten.