During my time in Michigan, I have had the opportunity to learn about the case of Efren Paredes,
Jr., a Chicano that has been unjustly locked up since the age of 15. Efren, a former high school honor student from Berrien
County, was arrested at the age of 15 and sentenced to two Life Without Parole
sentences and one parolable life sentence. He remains incarcerated and just turned 35 this April 4th.
I met a woman who works with in the prison where Efren is incarcerated, Maria Zavala - who invited me to come speak at the prison about my political art at the request of Efren. I gladly said yes. One of the issues I am passionate about fighting is this country's racist and unjust prison system, which locks up so many young brown and black men. It is a racist and extremely flawed system that incarcerates 1 in 9 young Black men in America. The figures are also high for Chicanos/Latinos.
Efren was accused of murdering a grocery store manager and robbing
the store in Michigan on March 8, 1989. There were
no eyewitnesses to the crime. The murder weapon and vehicle used to
commit the crime were found in possession of the perpetrators who
admitted guilt in the crime, yet he was still convicted of the
same crime. There is overwhelming evidence
that the case was based on judicial, prosecutorial, police misconduct,
perjured testimony, the jury foreman a co-worker of the victim's aunt
by marriage, and the testimony of co-defendants who plead guilty to the
same crime in exchange for lenient sentences. You can read more about Efren's case and support his case, visit his website: 4Efren.com
It was my first time visited a prison. The only time I have been locked up have been for protests, and that has only been for 4-8 hours. I must say that I was nervous - Nervous because of my own preconceived notion about what prisons are. I was cleared for the visit and after the standard searches, I was inside a gym. I had been asked to give a presentation about my art, about the role that my art plays in building a more just world. The group who I visited is called LASSO, Latin American Spanish Speaking Organization. The group's president is Efren and they bring in speakers about once per month.
I talked to a group of about 40 black and brown men, some of them serving life sentences. There was a group of Raza who did not speak English and were newly arrived immigrants. One thing I was proud to see was the fact that there was unity between the black and brown prisoners. You hear so much about the racial divides in prison, but it is quite amazing to see how these two groups have come together. I am aware that Efren has been instrumental in this unity.
During my career as an artist, I have spoken to many, many folks, all over the world.... many students, ranging from elementary to high school to college. One thing I have to say is that a lot of these brothers in prison are well educated in terms of radical political history, history of people of color in this country, socio-political thought, and progressive politics. They clearly are studying many of today's most pressing issues, such as the war, gentrification, the class divide. When I talked about my work, I discussed themes of globalization, corporate irresponsibility, etc. and they actively listened, nodding their heads. They were keyed into what I was discussing, and I could tell that many of them are active learners in these areas. They knew and understood our people's political history and they could draw the connections between then and now. One thing I also was able to talk was about gender and sexism, particularly what I face as a woman of color. I wanted to really present some radical notions around gender and women's liberatio. I have to say that my nervousness ended within the first 5 minutes, and I felt very happy to be there. I was no longer scared, but rather, I felt blessed to have the opportunity to speak to the folks that are forgotten by our society and locked up, many unjustly. My presentation lasted about 45 minutes and was followed by a Q&A.
I spoke with Efren for a while following the presentation, and I was amazed by his energy, his spirit that is, and his intelligence. He is a sharp individual, I can see why he was on the honor roll. You can check out Efren's blog and his Facebook page. He is fully digital. Yes, even behind bars, Efren is able to communicate with the world. My heart tells me he and I will one day be at at cafe talking politics and art. I visualize that and I am hopeful that he will be released.
ALSO, to my great amazement, Efren contributed some funds to my Immigration Rights Poster Project! You can read about it here. He is officially the first donor of the project.
Efren, my fellow blogger/activist, you will be reading this soon, and again, I want to say that I stand in solidarity with you. Thank you teaching all of us how to be free, in the true sense of the word - even when you are not physically free.
.....A truly transforming day in my life - April 7, 2008
Updated on 4/14/08 - After I wrote this blog, Efren wrote a blog post of his own. You can visit his post by clicking here
This Saturday, May 3rd in San Francisco, I will participating in a group interview about Art and Activism. Other featured panelists are Claude Moller (San Francisco Print Collective), Juan Fuentes, Susan Cervantes (Precita Eyes), and Nancy Hom. The interviews will be conducted by Robynn Takayama. Neighborhood Public Radio will be broadcasting the interviews live at their installation in the Whitney Biennial.
I read this story about a young performer named Charles Stevison, and was really moved by it. I am familiar with the circus troupe this boy performs in, Prescott Circus Theater, and was sad to see the degree of violence happening in the streets of Oakland, my home. "W
Recent Comments