Aug 13, 2020
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"[Prisons] do not contain the most dangerous members of society, for surely the largest crimes that threaten society the most are war, genocide, torture & the destruction of the environment." Ruth Morris, 1995
— micah herskind (@MicahHerskind) May 20, 2020
WRITE TO MISS VENUS
WRITE TO MISS VENUS: a call for penpals and allies
Miss Venus is an incarcerated transgender woman held in solitary confinement. She is kind, compassionate, and incredibly strong, and she is looking for penpals!
“I'm looking for friends, and maybe more in the future - real, loyal, honest, and know how to treat me like i'm a real dedicated woman! ...I've been hurt in the past, but my heart is open to new possibilities!”
I first wrote to Venus through Black and Pink, an organization connecting LGBTQ prisoners to 'free world' allies and friends through a penpal program and other supports. It has been such an honor getting to know Venus, and I am lucky to call her my friend! Venus has very little support both inside and outside prison walls, and has been held in solitary for seven years. Taunted, harassed, attacked, abused, and neglected by guards, Venus is living in horrific conditions. She says, “This place tries so hard to oppress the LGBTQ people in prison; it pisses me off so much. They (police) treat LGBTQ people so bad and I just can't keep sitting around watching the bullshit. Theo, if someone doesn't stand up, who will?”
Some things she wants you to know about her:
Her birthday is April 4th; she's an Aries! She admires Laverne Cox and CeCe McDonald. She grew up in Jacksonville, AR. She loves music! She particularly likes r&b, soul, dance, techno, jazz, and country (but she only listens to country when she's had her heart recently broken)!
You can write to her at: Jeffrey Williams #138677, EARU, PO Box 970. Marianna, AR. 72360.
Even if you cannot write to her, please reblog this post and spread the word. You can find her facebook page here. Every bit counts! Please contact me if you have any further questions or would like to know more!
In developing her concept of Transformative Justice, Morris was influenced by the practices of both Native Canadian Healing Circles and New Zealand’s Community Group Conferences. Both forms of justice bring communities together – not just victim and offender – and recognise the harm done to the victim, the accountability of the offender and the social roots of the problem. In Morris’s words: “Transformative Justice uses the power unleashed by the harm of the crime to let those most affected find truly creative, healing solutions.” This includes healing, not just for victim and offender, but for the community at large.
Quakers in the World. Ruth Rittenhouse Morris
1933 - 2001
READ AND SIGN! this is a friend of friends, and no one deserves to go to prison (esp for 100 years/life, or at all) for self defense against homophobic attacks