That’s where we made our start. Then COVID-19 happened and all facilities of incarceration were off the table… so we tried new populations.
Loved ones read to grandparents in senior homes. Parents from developmental disability households read to their kids. And a young man (at heart) with Alzheimer’s disease read over three hours of audio for his grandkids.
This summer, StoryChain is again behind the walls of the American justice system. We worked with eight fathers at Lebanon Correctional Institution (LCI). The warden and deputy director of southwest Ohio individually selected participants based on their demographic. Even though LCI has 1,600 incarcerated individuals from all over the state, StoryChain worked with men whose families lived within a few blocks from each other in Northwest Dayton.
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Walter Rice, Omega CDC, community organizer Tawana James, and members from the Cradle to Career campaign were all instrumental in identifying these families. Years ago, Judge Rice was right next to me (and proverbially never left) on the Montgomery County jail floor helping me record voices from incarcerated mothers. “Wow,” I remember him musing, “you actually instruct the voice.”
StoryChain would not have been successful at LCI without the incredible support from the unit supervisor John Elam who personally checked the availability of each participant. Prison schedules can be arbitrary and participants are sent to different sections (or other prisons) on a regular basis. But John made it work for eight workshops in seven weeks.
We also read a book together, “Baseball Around the World,” by Chris Singleton and Dean Burrell. We call it a “collective book,” which is a recording from all the participants for one book. Each father records their voice for a section or a chapter of the book, then all the audio is spliced together.
People listen to these recordings and this is why: the fathers and mothers read like their life depends on it. We think that sounds pretty good.
Want to get involved? Join us on Saturday, Sept. 2 at the Northwest Dayton Library on 2410 Philadelphia Dr. from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The families of the incarcerated will be receiving free books and audio equipment. There will also be read-aloud sessions for anyone who would like to volunteer. The event is a celebration and support of children of the incarcerated. They have always been among us and now it is time to rally together and give them agency. Join us for lunch and a chance to move one step closer to stomping out the social maladies of illiteracy, hunger and poverty.
Jonathan Platt is the Executive Director of StoryChain.
LISTEN TO STORYCHAIN RECORDINGS
In this recording, Daniel Smith is reading for his nieces and nephews. His family will receive a much longer version of this recording on Sept. 2nd at the Northwest Dayton Library branch.
LISTEN ONLINE: https://on.soundcloud.com/aU6JD
From Jonathan Platt, Executive Director of StoryChain: “In this recording, the mother and father are incarcerated, but we managed to record their voices separately and merge them together. We think this is a pretty cool gift to the child. Legally they can’t be in the same room together, but they can tell a story in unison.”
LISTEN ONLINE: https://on.soundcloud.com/E4jvr
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