Celebrating a Year of “Sentences” With My Biggest Publication Yet @ The Nation
I’m excited to share news that I’ve published an article at The Nation, titled “Jails Are Closing Across America. Why?” It’s about the closure of several local jails in the wake of bail reform—an unexpected turn toward decarceration. The article was commissioned a year ago by another publication, was dropped because of a shortage of funding for freelancers, it was picked back up, further delayed by a court ruling on bail reform in Illinois, then Gaza was bombed, the holidays, and now it’s finally out!
A year ago, when I started my Substack, “Sentences,” I couldn’t have imagined where it would take me. Frankly, it was a low point. I had just taken a hard blow when I lost a job as a high school English teacher at a small, local private school. I was excited about teaching Black and Native writers to teenagers. It turned out I was called into the principal’s office every Friday afternoon, with parents asking—why weren’t their kids reading the white male authors they read in high school 30 years ago?
I launched Sentences as part of an effort to make it as a freelance journalist and return to my roots as a community journalist. It’s been a bumpy year, but with your support I’ve had several important wins!
There have been 155 people who have subscribed to my Substack, and with 25 paid subscriptions, I have made a total of $2,000!
Can you make a donation to another year of Sentences? Help me to continue my abolition journalism and put a spotlight on important community issues!
Little did I know a year ago when I started Sentences that police in Rantoul would kill two Black young men in the first half of 2023—Azaan Lee and Jordan Richardson. Eventually, other media outlets picked up the story. Activists recently spoke out about the police killings during public comment at a Rantoul Village Board meeting.
Again, I was taken by surprise when a hunger strike broke out at the local jail. A small group of us built a diverse coalition, with partners like the newly-formed group Urbana-Champaign Reproductive Justice that was formed after the overturning of Roe v. Wade [sign up for their newsletter here].
Together, we kicked the prison profiteer Securus out of town. Everybody said we couldn’t do it, but we won free phone calls from the county jail!
Recently, I’ve been doing some work for Prairie Rivers Network, my favorite local environmental organization. In the recent PRN newsletter, you’ll see my writings, including an article on the proposed Hunter Lake in Springfield, a $250 million boondoggle proposed by city officials in Springfield.
This week I also started teaching a class called, “A People’s History of Illinois,” at Danville prison for Education Justice Project. I look forward to sharing stories about my teaching experience.
EJP is hosting an author talk by my friend and journalist Ben Austen, author of Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change, which features the organization I work with, Parole Illinois. A panel discussion with Ben will be held featuring Emmett Sanders, David Todd, and State Rep. Carol Ammons.
Ben’s talk will be Monday January 29, 2024, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. at the University YMCA, 1001 S. Wright St. on the University of Illinois campus.
I survived the last year, but barely, it feels like. There were set-backs and self-doubt. Turns out, I was doing exactly what I should be doing. Thanks for your support! BD