Jan Lipscomb is a parishioner at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and is the leader of the Incarceration Ministry. If you have any questions, please reach out to her at incarcerationjustice@stmarks.net.
The Incarceration Justice group at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church welcomed the Free Minds Book Club for a soulful celebration of “WRITE Night” on July 9, 2024. Free Minds began as a reading program for incarcerated youths who were charged as adults in the DC Jail. It has since expanded as members who have left the jail have kept in touch and stayed on to mentor youth still in the system. It now has book clubs and provides re-entry support among other things. You can learn more about the program by visiting the website here.
We developed a relationship in 2020, during the pandemic. Therefore, when the opportunity to host the return of an in-person gathering of poets and supporters arose again, it was meaningful beyond words! Together, we read poems spread out on tables, responding to each with words of connection and encouragement. Inmates who are DC residents mail their poems into Free Minds from penitentiaries all over the country. They serve their sentence far from family or any connections. Responses to the poems are mailed back to the incarcerated individuals. We encourage the community to be a part of sending out these responses.
That evening, amidst the sharing and support, Councilmember Charles Allen was presented with the Glen McGinnis Community Changemaker Award, to reward his unwavering commitment to transformative justice. Family and friends all joined in the creative and heart-opening event, as we read or listened to poems read by Poet Ambassadors who have recently returned after long prison sentences. In many cases, these poems are life lines. They help pull together the connective tissue needed for endurance and hope in our residents.
We welcome new members to our Incarceration Justice group. You do not need to be a St. Mark’s member to join. We typically meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Contact Jan Lipscomb at incarcerationjustice@stmarks.net for information or to join our mailing list. We send 4-6 messages at most per month. May we all continue to extend care and hope for all.