1st Edition
Black Children of Incarcerated Parents Speak Truth to Power Social Revolution
This book centers directly impacted Black children who have lived through parental incarceration. Their stories are told from holistic perspectives incorporating the full range of collateral consequences. Shifting from the Eurocentric and capitalistic viewpoint, they move us beyond negative outcomes to a positive prism by providing insider perspective, strategy, advice, and compelling experiences. We center Black children of incarcerated parents’ (BCOIP’s) rich narratives to show how they are conscious thinkers with perspectives that can help reimagine all Black children’s lives and futures.
These stories help readers better understand the importance of exploring the revolutionary ways BCOIP continue to survive, thrive, and transform amid the dynamic challenges surrounding mass incarceration. The book shifts the social dialogue from fear of intergenerational crime and incarceration to resilience, success, Black joy, and self-love, and moves from sympathetic into an empathetic agenda. The book brings to the forefront counter-storytelling through oral narratives that fill a gap in literature that leaves out the voices of children of incarcerated parents who are doctors, lawyers, professional athletes, musicians, community leaders, activists, professors, teachers, bestselling authors, and much more. These are vital experiences to share because not all BCOIP will end up in prison, jail, or a detention center.
Black Children of Incarcerated Parents Speak Truth to Power will be of great interest to scholars from the humanistic social sciences and humanities. It is also a timely resource for students (high school, undergraduate, and graduate) in sociology, criminology, corrections, humanities, social work, counseling, education, social justice, and related courses, as well as agency administrators, community organizations servicing families of the incarcerated, specifically incarcerated parents and the children of incarcerated parents, themselves.
Introduction
Bahiyyah Miallah Muhammad, Britany Jenine Gatewood, and Sydni Myat Turner
Part 1: Truth and Reconciliation: Confidence in My Black Skin
Bahiyyah Miallah Muhammad
Chapter 1: What’s In a Name?
Calvin Bell III
Chapter 2: Unlearn to Relearn
Aloha
Chapter 3: Am I My Mother’s Keeper?
Tonisha Taylor
Chapter 4: Roots, Residue, and Results
Quatina Frazer
Chapter 5: Dad’s “in” Dad’s “out” Part I: The Ebb and Flow of Childhood with an Incarcerated Parent
Nicole Dezrea Jenkins
Chapter 6: Dad’s “in” Dad’s “out” Part II: Truth and Trajectory from an Academic and Military Veteran
Nicole Dezrea Jenkins
Chapter 7: Ciera’s New Story
Ciera Payton
Part 2: Reclaiming Black Wellness: Every Revolution Has to Begin Somewhere
Sydni Myat Turner
Chapter 8: Lock and Key: A Story About My Dad and Me
Tru Moore
Chapter 9: A Journey through Abandonment and Abuse to Acceptance
Alicia Jefferson
Chapter 10: My Healing Journey
Charnal Chaney
Chapter 11: The Journey of a Butterfly
Faith Cole
Chapter 12: Loving Me, Unapologetically
Quaniece Raquelle Jones
Part 3: The Renaissance of Self-Expression: Creativity, Innovation, and Culture
Bahiyyah Miallah Muhammad
Chapter 13: The Masquerade Ball
Donald Stevenson
Chapter 14: The Seed of Hope: “Maybe You’ll Go Away for College”
Lolu Drummond
Chapter 15: In Memory of You, Dad
Shannell Kitt
Chapter 16: Now You See Him, Now You Don’t
Justice Howard
Chapter 17: Falling on Deaf Ears
Gabrielle Dunn
Chapter 18: Helping Flowers Grow: Sunlight, Water and Love
Jian Alaa Muhammad and Jaelah Millah Muhammad
Chapter 19: Emotions
William Myhre
Chapter 20: Crisis to Creativity
Akiya McKnight
Part 4: Parenting Behind and Beyond the Walls: The Revolutionizing Relationships of BCOIP
Sydni Myat Turner
Chapter 21: Behind the Wall
Dawan Alford
Chapter 22: 73 Days
Erika Hardinson
Chapter 23: Moms
Dawan Alford
Chapter 24: Apple Don’t Fall Far
Shatarra King
Chapter 25: Obstacles on Both Sides of the Gate
Kiara W. S. Bynum
Chapter 26: Parenting Your Parent
Jasmine Johnson
Chapter 27: Letter to My Father
Tashawn Reagon
Part 5: The Student and the Teacher: Education Beyond Books
Britany Jenine Gatewood
Chapter 28: What is a bad guy?
Jay Baron
Chapter 29: Intergenerational Achievement: Class of 2025
Whitney Hollins and Arieanna Hollins
Part 6: The Revolution Begins Now: A National Call to Action
Britany Jenine Gatewood
Chapter 30: The Internal Revolution
Anyé Young
Chapter 31: This is Your Permission to be Free
Tonisha Taylor
Chapter 32: Ask the Question: Say Something
Kiara Bynum
Chapter 33: Why My Mom?
Quniana Futrell
Chapter 34: Youth of Incarcerated Parents United
Kleo Torres
Chapter 35: Building the Future Us: Youth Ambassadors on A Mission
Jaelah Millah Muhammad and Jian Alaa Muhammad
Chapter 36: A Woman on the Outside
Kristal Bush
Chapter 37: The Invisible Part: See Me, Hear Me
Shameka Green
Conclusion
Bahiyyah Miallah Muhammad, Britany Jenine Gatewood, and Sydni Myat Turner
Afterword
Tony Lewis Jr.
Biography
Britany Jenine Gatewood, Ph.D., is the Senior Research Coordinator for Beloved Community and the founder of the Liberation and Justice Project Foundation, Inc. Her research focuses on the political practice of incarcerated Black women and their children. She obtained her Ph.D. from Howard University, along with a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies.
Bahiyyah Miallah Muhammad, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Criminology at Howard University. She is the founder of The Dr. Muhammad Experience Inc., and co-founder of Project Iron Kids for children of incarcerated parents. Professor Muhammad is the author of numerous children’s books, book chapters, and articles about children and families impacted by incarceration.
Sydni Myat Turner, M.A., is a social justice advocate, reentry mentor, and program facilitator. In 2021, she earned an M.A. in Sociology from Howard University. She serves as a board chair member and co-facilitator at It Takes A Village Collaborative (ITAVCollab), a non-profit organization providing Black individuals, families, and communities with resources, services, and networks to holistically heal their mind, body, and spirit.
