Kathy lead the group in a get to know you exercise where we each selected a picture from a magazine that reminded us of something in our lives. One by one the woman shared a little bit of their story. I listened and was struck by the variety of woman gathered, and could not help but think about the question: So who are the woman in prison? I got my answer as each one began to open up a little.
The first two woman, one dark skinned and one light skinned, shared how they had each worked in hospitals for many years. They were very proud of the work they had done. The next woman spoke with a deep, scratchy voice. It reminded me of one I had heard on commercials about why you should not smoke. She walks with a cane and seems to be in poor health.
She had chosen a photo of a demonstration against violence. She cried as she told us that her husband use to beat her badly. She showed parts of her body that had experienced a lot of violence. She said if she had not experienced that violence perhaps she would not be in prison now. She said her husband had been in prison for a while and she had visited him a lot but he did not visit her. He had taken a mistress that was living in her house. She was clearly a woman that had been beaten down by a life of violence and neglect.
The next woman told of a history of her family in prison. Even now her children were in prison and it sounded to me as if her grandchildren were involved in activities that would lead them to prison too. She said she felt abandoned because she was in prison alone and had been there with no visitors for two years.
The next few woman cried as they spoke of their children, grandchildren and parents. They missed them so much and longed for them with great sorrow. Kathy pointed out to the group that by coming together as a group of woman we could be there to support one another and that no one had to be totally alone.
One of the young woman who is in her early twenties shared how she had already been pregnant 7 times but had lost the children in miscarriages because of the use of crack cocaine. She has been so excited to be in this health class in hopes to be able to find a way to get healthier while she is in prison. One of the hopes of the course is to teach life skills that can help the woman while in prison but also to help them make a better life for themselves and their families when they are released from prison.
So who are the woman in prison? The ones I met today are daughters, moms and grandmas. They are woman who are poor and for the most part have had difficult lives. They are nurses and crack users. They are farmers and victims of violence. They are people who cry and long for family. They are young and they are old. They are woman with broken hearts and woman who dream of a better tomorrow.
***I have to say that I have written what I understood from our course. However, my Portuguese is still in the beginning stages so some details may be a little different from what I understood. Also, please know these are just snapshots of the endless numbers of stories told by the woman in prison.
