The Learning Center for Women in Prison
shameless self promotion... but it's for a good cause

Several years ago, a few fabulous women and I founded the Learning Center for Women in Prison, an organization which provides a college education to women in a state prison in Manhattan. We started it because some women incarcerated at the prison asked us to, and because we (and several studies) believe that a college education is what will make the difference for women when they are released from prison. We've been running the program as volunteers ever since. This year, our organization reached a few milestones: Bard College agreed to accredit and oversee the program through the Bard Prison Initiative, we received our 501 c(3) status, and we received substantial grants from the New York Women's Foundation, the New York City Council, the New York Junior League, and the State Senate(sorry, I'm too unskilled to do hyperlinks to all those organizations). This month, we hired our first staff person.

Last week, because we recevied a grant, we attended the New York Women's Foundation's "Celebrating Women" breakfast featuring Geraldine Ferraro, Madeline Albright, and Sarah Jones. We sat in a room full of women who are committed to helping women and girls improve their lives, and I was overwhelmed with the dreams, the initiative, the soul present in that space. I was grateful to be among the grantees, because many times over the past few years, the goal of an accredited college program in the prison has seemed impossible. The breakfast was the perfect setting to celebrate our dream becoming reality.

At the breakfast, just about every speaker quoted Margaret Mead ("Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.") I've heard that quote so many times, but this time it rang true.

To learn more about how you can help the Learning Center for Women in Prison, post a comment with your email address and I will happily contact you!

To join the New York Women's Foundation's action for women email alert, click here
http://www.nywf.org/take_action.html

Zeitgeist?

I'm a little behind in the technology of the day. I don't IM, don't listen to an Ipod on the subway, my partner doesn't play X-Box after work, and I can't really figure out how to use my new camera phone. It takes me like 45 minutes to post on this blog. And I actually kind of pride myself on my techno-ignorance.
And blogs. As my friend Amy lamented, why do we have to check our friends blogs to see what's going on in their lives. Why can't we just talk about our deep thoughts, she asked. I agree. It would be true communion to have the deep face to face conversations that exist only in our fantasies. But the blog makes us pay attention to what we're saying. And for me, it erases some of the fears of intimacy, and "what if I say the wrong thing" that creep up in real time.
I also feel a stronger connection to my far-flung friends through their blogs (check out the list of blogs to the right, they're mostly links to friends blogs or websites). I get these little windows into their lives. I think I understand my friend Douglas' art for the first time, even though I've known him for years. I get to relish gems like this post from JWD, a friend studying for her PhD in liturgy. And I feel my fear of intimacy shrinking just a bit with every post on this blog.

I think I just heard Jacques Ellul roll over in his grave.