Botstein said thefilmmakers challenge viewers to rethink their views of felons bynot immediately revealing the BPI students' crimes, unlike most other films and books on the subject of college in prison. Because I need the sheet music, she said. Im aware of the stresses on him, Webb said. And that was a lesson learned. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. Quick Facts She was born on 12-07-1949. Wesley Caines, 09 In organizations, you have to be careful not to take a political standbut this isnt political. He was accepted to the Bard Prison Initiative's post-secondary education program, where he joined BPI's debate team, which drew national attention after they defeated the group from Harvard University. People say Hepburn and Tracy. I cant fix anyone. Im a program associate at the ford foundation with the gender, racial, and ethnic justice unit, bringing directly impacted experience to philanthropy. I was ready to do something about it, but he told me, Just let it go, and I did., Rivera seized the moment: What do we mean when we say were going to lose it? Some students enter with educational abilities so low, they struggle to read basic phrases, let alone the complicated writing ofThe OdysseyorKing Lear. I went to see Lorissa today for color and cut . The programme is one of the last survivors of Bill Clintons notorious 1994 crime bill, which eliminated federal aid for higher education in jails. He knows prison faces. 'You don't know what you did for me': Released from prison by Obama, now on the dean's list. Theres nothing you could do., Heres the deal, Rivera said. I cant fix you. Maxwell said German, Smith, Montgomery and the little girl were staying there temporarily. Its hard coming from doing a whole lot of time. There was an endless line of men snaking up the stairs of this theatrical building. Like anyone who is naturally good at something, Sam Rivera got to be naturally good at his work by thinking constantly about his performance and being acutely aware of what he is doing as he does it. "Inside the walls of a classroom, you escape the walls of a cell and you become an individual again," says Shawnta Montgomery, speaking at the 16th commencement of the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), in the documentary. The small, seminar-style classes filled with engaged, articulate students could be those of any elite liberal arts college if not for the green jumpsuits. Ive come home. At the Thursday meeting last fall, when a recent arrival said that he had been awayperhaps for ten or twenty or thirty yearsthere was a round of applause, and Rivera, officially the associate vice-president of housing at Fortune but in truth its resident guru and presiding demiurge, was there to say, gently, Welcome home, brother.. Thats all it is. Angela Scott, an eight-year veteran of the society, has replaced Rivera. This is one of the very few issueswhere Republicans and Democrats are agreeing that action is necessary.. "There is some indication to us, which we are investigating, that there had been notifications to authorities in the Virginia area," Azzata said. We first get outwere getting that comfortability backand its hard to lose it, because you live in a room with it. In the coming years, we will end mass incarceration and restore investments in education to precisely the places where leaders have prioritized punishment. Coming home means learning the language and the rituals shared by the society outside prison walls. That might sound like a lot, but not when we consider that at the same time, again as part of the 1994 crime bill, congress committed 10 billion dollars to build more prisonsenough money to fund college in prisons for 200 years. They argue that post-secondary education behind bars will lower the likelihood that an individual returns to prison and that it will benefit society as whole. The documentary provides a fascinating window into the initiatives prison classrooms: Classic Greek literature, Shakespeare, history, writing seminars, Chinese. Facebook gives people the. Hosted by Malcolm Jenkins, special guests including Ken Burns, Vivian Nixon, Jumaane Williams, Craig Wilder, and BPI alumni featured in the film were part of an inspiring presentation before a packed house. Youll lean! People who have just come home meet interviewers in mock interviews. Hall works at theFord Foundation analyzingthe impact of social justice grants an experience he describes as "another Bard" because ofthe experts and cutting-edge ideas. Davids idea of a whisper is putting his hands over his mouth and then yelling, Rivera said in the middle of a meeting, after Rothenberg, doing just that, had urged him to move on from some stalled subject. Email Address: s YIJY @netzero.net. He was killed by a drunk driver on New Years Eve. In the program, the inmates memorize the opening section of "Moby Dick," participate in classroom discussion onthe ethics of stem cells and vigorously weigh the benefits of NATO as part of a viral debate team. Program Specialist Open Society Foundation. Every prisoner here comes with a wealth of compelling backstory, but it is a tribute to the discipline and focus of the film-makers that only a few are related in full. BPI graduatesmany of whom are here tonightare erasing that stigma every day, and paving the way for everyone who is coming behind us. , Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein, with BPIs community of alumni, families, staff, faculty, and supporters for a special screening of, Program Specialist Open Society Foundation, Found of Listen Up Media, Philadelphia Eagles Two-time Super Bowl Champion, Canvass Director at JustLeadershipUSA and the Lead National Organizer for Beyond the Box Initiative, Last month, I visited BPIs home at Eastern Correctional Facility. We came across as participating in the punishment, he said. Asnuntuck Community College in northern Connecticut, for example, is feeling the effects of expanding Pell Grants to prisoners. So, I tell the story. The autopsy uncovered prior abuse as well. E., the longtime resident with the basso-profundo voice, put it bluntly: Sam is the difference between leadership and leadershit. After the toddler's death later that morning, the county medical examiner's office conducted an autopsy and on Saturday found that the girl had been killed by a blow to her liver, Nassau police said. "Do you want the guy that got educationinside and is likely to get a job? Justice involved means that someone was arrested for or convicted of a crime; been upstate means imprisoned at northern-county places like Attica or Auburn (where license plates are made) or at Sing Sing (where the electric chair Old Sparky once stood). You chose to handle it. Shawnta J Montgomery 1979 Shawnta J Montgomery, born 1979. Sometimes its the same person. . Its hard., Rivera grew gentler: Can I talk about that? Being in college gave my brother hope and a purpose. Last month, Congress introduced bills that wouldreinstate Pell Grant eligibility for those incarceratedas part ofwider college affordability legislation. Dont dismiss that, man! It gave me hope for his future. The study projected large benefits toreinstating Pell Grant access to incarcerated individuals, finding that inmatesleavingprison will getjobs, contribute to the economyand will be less likely togo back to prison. With self-confidence comes motivation, an eagerness to want more for yourself, your family, and an opportunity to be more than you thought you were capable of, thus leaving strong potential to set an example for the next generation and end the cycle of incarceration. And at about the third floor it caved in and the guy said, Wow! The Castle began when we kept seeing that there was an urgent need for housing for people released who became homeless, JoAnne Page, the president and C.E.O. I developed critical thinking, writing and analytical skills to build a career doing something that I find deeply meaningful. One student, Rodney Spivey-Jones, nearly loses everything when a guard takes exception to the language used in one of his short stories and deems it a punishable offence. By signing up for BPI emails, you are agreeing to receive news and updates from BPI. The four-part series follows men and women incarcerated in maximum and medium security prisons across New York state over the span of four years, as they attempt to gain college degrees through the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), one of the most rigorous prison education programs in the U.S. BPI operates out of six New York State prisons. I love this program. I want to say goodbye, he said. Dont answer! When it comes to education behind bars, Kinzel said the debate boils down to a simple question. The coronavirus pandemic hit the Castle hard. Some think that even in prison, they should not have access to it. This led to my becoming involved in the criminal-justice system. I was driving by a playground once, near where I grew up. Being in college also gave me hope and purpose. The president gave in. Various guests may appear, too, ranging from John Edward Wetzel, the secretary of corrections for the State of Pennsylvania, to Luann de Lesseps, the Real Housewives of New York star who once spent a night in jail. I cant fix him. (I did get a C on that Spanish test, but it was the result of some issues in my personal life and, as you can see, I pulled it right up in the following term is what a kid raised with good fortune learns to say.) Like, for realI did that, and I didnt do what I would normally do. We all know what we could do. We would not be here without you. Montgomery; Shawnta Nicole Bibb; Shawnta Nicole Bibb, Age 73. New York City Public Advocate. And then you get to know the person, as opposed to the audition. Dizhawna, who was nicknamed "Da Da," turned 2 on Christmas Day. As the car pulled up to the Castle, a group of residents, all masked, were waiting on the steps. I was thrilled but not surprised, Dyjuan, when BPI beat Harvard. Everyone backslides or has a bad day. A pregnant 20-year-old Long Island woman has been charged with manslaughter in the death of her 2-year-old daughter. 7,069 Followers, 2,004 Following, 3,816 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Shawnta' Jackson (@bodybyshawnta) Upstairs, there are comfortable bedrooms for more than eighty residents, but at the moment they were, by the societys rule, empty. I ran Thursday meeting for years, and then Stanley didthe Fortune vice-presidentand then Sam, Page said. For now, the roughly 300students taking classes free of charge at the elite collegeare the exception. Resignation not accepted! Easy called out, in turn. Join Facebook to connect with Shawnta Montgomery and others you may know. Right: Max Kenner speaks on stage at the screening. Shawnta Montgomery, another BPI alum, worksas a peer recovery coach at the Fortune Society, a New York City nonprofit group focused on integrating formerly incarcerated individuals back into society. Achalkboard is filled with Chinese symbols in a room filled with eager students in green jumpsuits. Montgomery was ordered back to Nassau County criminal court on Feb. 18, officials said. 4,221 followers. Left: Jule Hall attends the special screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS after-party at Red Rooster on November 12, 2019 in New York City; Right: Vivian Nixon and Max Kenner on the red carpet before the screening The Apollo Theater. He said Montgomery hit her toddler for misbehaving while brushing her teeth Friday morning. ROOSEVELT, NY Police have charged 20-year-old Shawnta Montgomery, of Roosevelt, with first-degree manslaughter. Partly through the osmosis that teaches all of us our dialectsnobody has to tell a quarterback to say It was a team victory; he absorbs the words when he starts playing footballthe residents use many cautious voices and tenses to narrate their movement through a hostile world. This film following students of the Bard Prison Initiative is a tribute to their ambition and endeavour and an indictment of the absence of funding for such programmes. One critical part of transitioning is to help someone involved with the justice system get involved with the employment system. Student Shawnta Montgomery spoke inspiring words at her graduation ceremony: "Inside the walls of a classroom, you escape the walls of a cell and you become an individual again." Montgomery was graduating from the Bard Prison Initiative program, featured in the new PBS and Ken Burns documentary, College Behind Bars. Its hard, but its rewarding, said BPI participant John Gonzalez. (If you call someones bullshit poetry, they wont be that offended, even if youre telling them you dont want to hear it.) On this evening, for instance, someone used a formula familiar from twelve-step programs: You have to hit bottom before you can come back up. This sentiment went around the room with echoing fervor. Females, one newcomer says, a candid but very wrong answer. Creating educational opportunities in prison nationwide. Clarksville Now Contributed Magicians Jeff and Kimberly Bornstein will bring their magic show to the Roxy Regional Theatre on February 14. Rivera and Rothenberg were like a couple who had been working in a hardware store for too many decades; they enjoyed each other and gibed at each other, and by now the enjoyment had become the gibing. Now that Ive been home for a few years, I appreciate even more what it means to be a Bard alum. ", 68% of inmates released from state prisons were rearrested, 42.6% of state prisoners released in 2012 returned to prison, Released from prison by Obama, now on the dean's list, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. :furious: Police said Montgomery used an object to repeatedly strike her little girl. Sister of Rodney Spivey-Jones. They have to be sleeping under a bridge before they can officially be classed as homeless. In the late nineteen-nineties, Page came upon the empty Catholic girls school. As a child, Kinzel said, he was violent and constantly exposed to illegal activities. Page insists that the organization will go on more or less intact. Current Address: KLUA Midway Ave, Chesapeake, VA. Past Addresses: See available information. Were now making statements.). Goldvale said the study foundmany at the local and state levelare intrigued by the expansion of Pell Grants to prisons. All rights reserved. Every New Yorker knows that. Shawnta Montgomery Pictures . Rivera grew up on the Lower East Side. Program Associate with the Ford Foundation. There was a brief pause. And, of course, I did.. Detective Lt. John Azzata said Montgomery is 7 months pregnant. I am so glad that the cameras were there that day, because what happened on that stage, and what is happening at BPI, will change Americas understanding of who incarcerated people are, and what they are capable of. For the first time in more than two decades, a push to lift this ban is sparking bipartisan support. My view is just the opposite. The BPI is funded entirely by donations. Nobody told me about the brick. He paused. When the Pell Grant program started, it didn't matter whether an individual wasin prisoneverybody had access until the 1994 Crime Bill,said Cara Brumfield, whoco-wrotethestudy. College Behind Bars first premiered Nov. 25, 2019 on PBS and has since then become popular among Netflix audiences. Your voice changed. A makeshift desk made from cardboard is placed over a sink in a cramped cell. Rivera was sitting over dinner at Trufa, an eclectic little restaurant at Broadway and 140th Street. Police responded to her Hudson Avenue home at around 9:10 a.m. Friday for an. I couldnt have stood there with this guy spitting in my face saying the things he was saying. "I've never seen her strike that baby," said Maxwell. Is it idealistic, even frivolous, for men and women in prison to be reading classical literature? Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. I was with my boys, watching a show where theyre imploding a casino, and Im kind of into it. Bard Prison Initiative students benefit from the wisdom and experience of Bard professors, who hold them to the same high expectations as their main campus students. Prosecutors said Montgomery admitted to "punching her own baby," Dizhawna Montgomery, after she acted up while brushing her teeth Friday. Shawnta lives at 121 Spring Valley Rd, Montgomery, AL. Holding out his right arm, he might say, This is the arm that Liz Taylor cried on at the opening night of Dick Burtons Hamlet in 1964, and then avow, The mistake you make is thinking that theyre ever honest about crime numbers. Being on the debate stage against Harvard was unforgettable. Or by Tom, Who Drove Under the Influence. Ive worked in D.C., where people identify themselves by their degreesI went to this schooland thats what its about. Shawnta Montgomery, Age 33. As the sociologist Erving Goffman wrote in the nineteen-fifties, A status, a position, a social place, it is not a material thing to be possessed and displayed; it is something to be enacted and portrayed. That idea is profoundly relevant to the work of the Fortune Society. What is your greatest strength in a work situation? In early July, Rivera paid the Castle and its residents a final visit. Shawnta Montgomery, 20, of Roosevelt, is led out of Mineola police headquarters for her arraignment. A language of elaborate indirection fills the room. I would have loved to stay at Fortune, he said in early June. Phone Number: (757) 237-IJJT. We wouldnt have gotten this far without formerly incarcerated leaders paving the way, including Tamika, Darren Mack and other BPI alumni. nothing. Yet, Bard Prison Initiatives stellar outcomes make it ripe for private philanthropic investment. Craig Steven Wilder and Dyjuan Tatro speak on stage at the special screening of COLLEGE BEHIND BARS at The Apollo Theater on November 12, 2019 in New York City. The primary reason i decided to participate in this film is because I love my brother. Get the latest news about BPI and our work. Wheres bottom? Rivera hadnt seen the brick, and was startled to learn about it: He pulled out a brick? And one arrogant woman running for office who was there watching came up to me and said, What was that old con in for? I said, I dont know, I guess for winning three Pulitzer Prizes? He smiled. I never in my life thought that Id think that ignorance is bliss. View Shawnta Montgomery's record in Gaffney, SC including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Study foundmany at the elite collegeare the exception simple question where people themselves!, VA. Past Addresses: see available information initiatives stellar outcomes make it ripe for private investment... Behind bars first premiered Nov. 25, 2019 on PBS and has since then become popular among audiences... 20, of Roosevelt, NY Police have charged 20-year-old Shawnta Montgomery and the rituals shared by the expansion Pell! Residents a final visit Montgomery hit her toddler for misbehaving while brushing her teeth Friday but its rewarding said. 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