Dear readers…
I have two amazing pieces of news to share with you and one big ask.
First the news…
On Friday we had an amazing webinar highlighting an unprecedented court hearing that we have been covering.
The Vanguard has extensively covered the San Quentin Hearing to the point where a lot of experts have referred to our coverage as being the best and most thorough. Both the SF Public Defender’s Office (here) and Hastings Law Professor Hadar Aviram (here), have used our work to highlight the case.
Professor Aviram was one of the guests on our webinar on Friday. She wrote: “For detailed summaries of each day of the hearing, I highly recommend the Davis Vanguard coverage” and then linked all 11 stories we ran on it.
Second, we have just launched a brand new project!
We are partnering with Incarcerated Allied Media – Dr. Joan Parkin and D. Razor Babb – to bring the broader community articles published by Incarcerated Individuals at Mule Creek State Prison and part of the Mule Creek Post publication. This is an amazing opportunity to amplify incarcerated voices.
First article is here.
We are about to bring on 70 new interns this month. We will have extensive court coverage in: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Alameda, Sacramento and Yolo Counties. Plus we are working hard to launch in San Diego and Santa Barbara.
So now the ask…
We can’t do any of this without the funding to pay our staff and other costs. We need your help. We need you to become sustaining members. $5 or $10 a month on the low end. Some give $20, $25, $50 or even $100 a month. Whatever you can manage.
Click here: http://davisvanguard.
Another project, that “amplifies the voices of the incarcerated”, and has had good results, is the programs under the aegis of the Marin Shakespeare Company…
Marin Shakespeare Company | Playing for Good
Check it out… look under the social justice tab…
Imagine Othello, played by a man on parole for a homicide (after many years in prison)… we were there for one of the performances… awesome… he got rave reviews from local critics… he also co-starred in another production…
Apparently, their outreach program, bringing incarcerated folk into acting (they go to the institution), has had very positive results both to those remaining in prison, and those paroled… not just giving ‘voice’, but giving their soul and experience to their roles…
More than “voices”… more than “writings”…