We envision a world that fosters a legacy of care, safety, and wellness for generations to come because of our work to break isolation and build power. As women with incarcerated loved ones, when we join together and fight for that vision, we are disrupting the brokenness, separation, and violence of the current systems of punitivity.
Sisterhood is powerful.
Our signature Healing to Advocacy Program—a nine week cohort where women and gnc people begin journeys of collective healing, share resources, and join a Sisterhood to advocate for change—launched nationally for the first time. On November 13, 2021, more than 120 women and gnc people in the Essie community gathered to celebrate new Sisters joining the fold from coast to coast in 21 states.
“It was the missing link in my life. I’ve been quiet for 22 years suffering in silence. And when you find like-minded people who are not judgemental and who actually care to hear your story and care to give you words of encouragement, it busts you out of your bubble. I’m present!”
~Salwa Rahman, a new Essie Sister
This year also marked the launch of our Campaign School, an eight-week offering to sharpen our Sisters’ tools to launch more audacious, strategic, and member-led campaigns at Essie. Over the course of these sessions, participants learned about the theories of power-building, organizing, and drew inspiration from various activists and movements throughout history. The pilot cohort graduated 18 Sisters and is a new pillar program for Essie.
“It’s a different passion when you have something so personal as a loved one being incarcerated, and then you go through training with others who have sameness of that experience. We were able to have deeper conversations about something so vulnerable that we wouldn’t normally talk about. It was awesome.” ~ Sakari Lyons
How you can support this work
We know that women with incarcerated loved ones moving into leadership is transformational on every level: individually, in our relationships and family systems, in our communities, and in our movements for collective liberation.
We’re building power to match our bold, audacious goals to bring our loved ones home—will you join us? Your support is needed today—every size gift is meaningful. Join the fight and click here to make a donation to Essie.