Rehumanization: Correctional Officer Story by Chamelle Johnson
Growing up, I didn’t have the best of things. I was raised in a single parent home and money was tight. I had my mom, two older sisters, and one younger brother. In school I always tried to be a part of the popular crowd. Throughout high school, I didn’t really take advantage of educational […]
Excerpt from Rumi’s “Delicious Laughter”
Eyes-Shut Facing Eyes-Rolling-Around Pay close attention to your mean thoughts. That sourness may be a blessing, as an overcast day brings rain for the roses and relief to dry soil. Don’t look so sourly on your sourness! It may be it’s carrying what you most deeply need and want. What seems to be keeping you […]
Chosen to be Black
BlackBox is a group dedicated to guiding black people towards expressing power by claiming our value. Through contemplative practices and group discussions, we desire to liberate our culture’s collective voices and each individual soul’s unique expression. We aim to show black culture that our power comes from within and is not determined by another. An […]
Addiction as a Path; The Introduction of Our Upcoming Book
For a long time, we have looked at addiction and its roots, as well as recovery from it, within a limited viewpoint. Some refer to it as a spiritual malady, yet this viewpoint fails to include the soul dimension of addictive behavior. Our life force can be experienced as an impulse. Impulse is defined as […]
Turning Prisons into Monasteries
The Unconditional Freedom Project’s mission is to turn prisons into monasteries. We aim to create flourishing members of society by recasting the penitentiary as a place to contemplate and meaningfully contribute. We currently run programs at the local juvenile hall and county jail, as well as the country’s largest women’s prison. During the pandemic, we […]
BlackBox: When You’re Called
Marissa has a vision of the woman she would become while creating BlackBox.
A Sunday Morning at Juvenile Hall
We were surprised to see all of the juveniles enter the garden for our day’s activities. We were under the impression that only Thursdays would include all the participants of the program. Today was Sunday; I had expected one or two kids, so when seven came out an excitement rushed through my body. Most of […]
My Mixed Hair
There is an experience in life when I know I’m fully honest. I can feel it in my body, the ignited feeling of being alive and the sunken in feeling of being grounded. And that experience lives in dynamic tension, always changing and always needing my attention to stay current. This has been a hard […]
Partner Chef: Janelle Weaver
Our visit with Janelle Weaver from the Bewildered Pig was gorgeous. She is everything we ever dreamed of being as a chef – creative, hospitable, whipping up beautiful intricate creations with ease, joyful and witchy. The way she handled ingredients was out of this world – using every ounce of a vegetable to never waste […]
Rehumanization: Correctional Officer Story by Keith Hellwig
I’ve worked with a number of agencies, but chiefly with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, where I was employed for 36 years and retired as a Captain. For 23 of those years, I also worked as a police officer on the streets. Now, even though I’m retired, I continue to work as a patrol officer […]
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