DrumTHE

Issue No.23sEPTEMBER 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

Pg. 1pg. 2pg. 3pg. 4pg. 5pg. 6 Upcoming Events

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untitledWorkforce development citizen spotlightfood for thoughtRead/watch/listencrossword

BY T. KING-BEY, 2O YEARS OLD

Sunday, September 22nd2:00PM - 4:00PMState Appellate Defender Office645 Griswold St. Suite 3300Detroit, MI 48226Join us for a workshop led by Anna Kohn,nonprofit manager of the reentry organization,RecoveryPark, where formerly incarceratedindividuals will acquire tools to successfully makedecisions and set personal and professional goalsfor the future.FREE | Refreshments provided

UNTITLED

Where we have been, Where we are, wherewe need to go in bail reform, in america

Friday, October 18Public testimony: 1:30PM-4:00 PMWayne State University Law SchoolSpencer M. Partrich Auditorium 471 W. Palmer St.Detroit, MI 48202

Michigan Joint Task Force on Jails andPretrial Incarceration: Detroit Meeting

Project reentry Life Mapping

Saturday, October 5th12:00PM lunch1:00PM Speaker | Judge Truman A. Morrison III, SeniorJudge District of Columbia Superior Court, D.C.Edgewood United Church469 N. Hagadorn Rd.East Lansing, MI 48823The annual Truman Morrison Lectures Series honorsthe legacy of Edgewood’s founding pastor andcontinues his quest for social justice infused with livelytheological thought and committed action. *RSVP Cindy @ 517-332-8693, Ext. 201. .

Out4Life: walk a mile in my shoesThursday, October 10thSalvation Army16130 Northland Dr Southfield, MI 48075An informative reentry simulation designed toallow attendees to experience the obstacles andbarriers returning citizens face upon returning tothe community.

A lot of people say "prison is what you make it", and I totallyagree. If you come in here big and bad, thinking you are, youare going to get tested and most likely attract negativecrowds, which brings negative attention, which bringsnegative outcomes. Even if you come in thinking you aregoing to just do your time and stay out of the way, and getout, you will still leave the same person as you were whenyou entered prison. By coming to prison, I learned you have to build and improveyour character. You have to change, period. This is obviousbecause the person you were before led you to a place thatyou shouldn't be in life. So that's exactly what I did. I startedreading and expanding my mind from criminal to realeducation that will put me on the road to success. I thenrealized how much I was actually capable of doing in life. Ilearned more about myself and the person I am. Then Ibegan to love myself. I began to care about myself and myfuture. I actually started to want to become something. I honestly was getting in trouble with the CO's and catching alot of tickets but I never went to the hole. I felt as long as Istayed to myself and worried about my own problems therewas no way I could get sent to the hole. It definitely works,but nothing is easy in here. Except getting involved with allthe negativity, that's easy. There are many things thathappen that really get on your nerves, like when your laundrycomes up missing, or when your bunkie locks the toiletbecause we only get two flushes and after that the toiletlocks for an hour. These things really throw you out ofcharacter and make you do things you regret. All in all, you have to try to have a strong mentality and reallyjust focus on your future because at the end of the day that'sall that matters. Just play your cards right and think positiveand all will be well. I learned that the hard way.

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Workforce development

FIAT Chrysler Automobiles Basic JobRequirements:-18 years of age or older-High school diploma or equivalent-Pass a drug screen, including recreational andmedical marijuana- Basic math and mechanical reasoningassessment - Federal or State Photo IDStep 1: Complete the pre-registration questionsat detroitatwork.com.FCA and sign up for aDetroit at Work Pre-Application Prep Event.Step 2: Attend and complete the Pre-ApplicationPrep Event.Step 3: Complete follow-up activities from theevent. This could include applying for socialsecurity card and qualifying ID, math testingsupporting classes, and/or high schoolgraduation or equivalent documentation. If you complete all 3 steps and qualify based onFCA requirements, you will be notified on howyou can apply early. Note: Interviews and conditional job offers-Oct/Nov 2019

for assistance applying to jobs or to be connected to events and resources in your area,please reach out to project reentry.

Detroit at work and fca

Thank you to all attendees and presentersof last month's workshop on Healthy

Relationships! And a special thank you toCindy’s “Yoga for a Cause” group from

Lansing for the monetary contribution forfood for the event! We hope to see youagain at our September workshop. See

attached flyer on page 7 for moreinformation.

Interested in attending, facilitating, or contributing? Email

Project reentry at Reentry@sado.org or

send a letter to

Project Reentry

State appellate defender office

645 Griswold, Suite 3300

Detroit, MI 48226

Matrix workforce development center The Matrix Workforce Development Center has avariety of career positions currently availableincluding two in auto assembly ($12 to $12.50 /hr), a production associate ($14 to $19 / hr), aswell as customer service, janitorial, merchandiseand stocking associate, and more at $11 / hr.Positions available in Warren, Sterling Heights,Auburn Hills, and Madison Heights. If interestedemail email the Manager of Workforce andDevelopment Services, Debbie Blackman:dblackman@matrixhs.org.

Weller Auto Job Fair Wednesday, September 18th3:00 PM - 6:00 PMBaymont Inn 8282 Pfeiffer Farms Dr.Grand Rapids, MI 49315Jamie Kahnoski 616-299-5051jkahnoski@leveltengroup.comOn site interviews. Weller is looking to add new talent to ourgrowing team in the areas of Shipping/Receiving, DispatchAssociate, Counter Sales, and car cleaner. Weller offers anexcellent benefits package, including health, dental, vision,401k and vacation.

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CITIZEN SPOTLIGHT

Lorenzo Harrel came home Febuary 2019

hometownDetroit, MIhobbies and interestsMy interest is my work. I am a braillist. This is myinterest, hobby and job and I love it because I getto help people. Being a braillist allows me to giveback to people who can’t see. It is also verylucrative and I am able to make a living off of it. Ienjoy hanging out with my friends and listeningto music in the car. Also, I love being a role modelfor my nephew, taking him to places like thescience museum, Chucky Cheese, and bouncehouses.

success After incarcerationMy successes since my release include being aroundpositive people and the community around me. Making itis one of my greatest successes, while also helping takecare of my mother. She is in a nursing home and I go seeher twice a day. It feels good to give back to my family.

message to the communityThere is so much I want to say. But what Iwant the community to know is that everyex-prisoner is not a threat to society. Theyshould be embracing them and seeing themas individuals and helping them. Help themovercome some of these struggles. I havehad so much help and I wouldn’t have beenable to do it without them. I am veryfortunate for that.

struggles After incarcerationMy biggest struggles have been trying to adjust tosociety and learning the language. Being able tocommunicate with others after spending so long inprison has been difficult, but I am learning. Budgetingmy money has also been one of the hardest things Ihave had to learn how to do since being released.

My name is A'Narris Monger and I am the new National Legal Aid andDefender Association (NLADA) AmeriCorps VISTA member for the StateAppellate Defender Office (SADO) . I have a bachelor’s degreein Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science from Michigan State Universityand a master's degree in Community Health Education from Wayne StateUniversity. I am passionate about the community and preventativemental, physical, and social health. I am excited to join your SADO’s effortsto support individuals and their journeys to enter back into thecommunity. Before joining AmeriCorps, I worked as a corrections officerfor three years. It gave me a great perspective on what individuals gothrough while incarcerated and what they need when they get home. Icome with an abundance of experience and skills, and I look forward tojoining your team.

a'narris mongerMeet the team

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"I've learned that no matter what happens, or howbad it seems today, life goes on, and it will be bettertomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person bythe way he/she handles these three things : a rainyday, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.I've learned that regardless of your relationship withyour parents, you'll miss them when they're gonefrom your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the samething as making a life. I've learned that lifesometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with acatcher's mitt on both hands: you need to be able tothrow some things back. I've learned that whenever I decide something withan open heart, I usually make the right decision.I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't haveto be one. I've learned that every day you should reach outand touch someone. People love a warm hug, or justa friendly pat on the back. I've learned that people will forget what you said,people will forget what you did, but people will neverforget how you made them feel. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."

Maya Angelou said this

Food for thought| Submissions from Bernard Gill

What is Self-concept?Self-concept is the way you see yourself. You canhave a positive self-concept, a negative one, aconfused one, or a combination of any number ofthings. Self-concept is central to all that a person does. Theway you think about yourself is the foundation for allother thought and the way you evaluate all otherinformation. If we do not think well of ourselves, wewill assume that others are thinking the same way.Our thoughts can keep us from hearing the realmessages others are sending us. As we develop our self-concept, we select informationabout ourselves from those around us. Our earliestthoughts usually come from family and our closestfriends. Then that group expands to include teachers,neighbors, schoolmates, coaches, and many others. We do not hear all things equally. We tend to hearnegative things more loudly. We find our self-conceptinvaded with negatives. Some of these come fromourselves and some from others. For example, weoften start the day looking in the mirror in search ofblemishes. Our next thought is how to cover them upand present ourselves in a more attractive way. Over time we find that our image of ourselves isdistorted by doubts not only about our appearancebut also about our performance. Now the question is:How do we undo the damage of these ideas and re-create within ourselves the concept of well-being andself-acceptance?

Attitude "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.Attitude, to me is more important than facts. It is more importantthan the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, thanfailures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. Itis more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will makeor break a company...a person...a home. The remarkable thing is wehave a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace forthat day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the factthat people will act a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and thatis our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to meand 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. You are in charge ofyour attitudes. And with that your destiny."

Thank youBernard!

Have something to share? Email

Project reentry at

Reentry@sado.org or

send a letter to

Project Reentry

State appellate defender office

645 Griswold, Suite 3300

Detroit, MI 48226

-Charles R. Swindoll

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read/watch/listen

read the color of lawAuthor Richard Rothstein argues how segregation inAmerica is the byproduct of explicit government policiesat the local, state, and federal levels.

watch

True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight

for Equality

The HBO documentary follows Stevenson's struggle tocreate greater fairness in the system and shows howracial injustice emerged, evolved and continues tothreaten the country, challenging viewers to confront it.Go to hbo.com to view the film for free.

listen The 730 podcast

The 730 Podcast unpacks how trauma and mentalillness intersect with the Black experience in America,told through the experience of a Black man living withbipolar disorder.

Recipe of the month|Ginger Lemon Tea

APP of

the

month 

Meetup

Duolingo

Meetup is an application that lets you meetpeople with the same tastes andpreferences that you have and creategroups where you can meet and hang outin real life.The goal of Meetup is connectingpeople with the same tastes so they canmeet and do all the activities they have incommon. When you create your useraccount in Meetup, you'll be able to choosebetween dozens of different interests thatwill determine the type of Meetups (hangingout spaces) that might interest you. If, forexample, you indicate that you areinterested in independent cinema and videogames, Meetup will show you all the groupsrelated to those subjects, so you canconnect with the rest of the users that shareyour interests. Naturally, you can alsocreate your own Meetup on any subject youwant.

Ingredients Instructions

1 Teaspoon fresh grated ginger 1 Lemon wedge 1 cup hot water 2-3 teaspoons honey (optional)

1.2.3.4.

1. Boil water in a kettle.2. Use a large coarse grater to shave fresh ginger into a mug.3. Place a wedge of fresh lemon in the mug.You can place both in a tea infuser to strainthe tea if you like. 4. Pour boiling water into the cup and let thelemon and ginger steep for 5 minutesbefore serving.5. Add honey to taste

Note

To make an entire pot: Make asinstructed above using 2 tablespoonsfresh grated ginger, 1 small sliced lemonor 1/2 large lemon, 6 cups boiling water,4-5 tablespoons honey (optional).

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To see past versions of The Drum,

visit www.sado.org/go/drumFollow SADO on Facebook, Instagram,

and Twitter @SADOmich

 Have QUESTIONS OR something to contribute?call (313) 256-9833

 and Ask for a Project Reentry Team Memberor email us at

reentry@Sado.orgor send a letter to

Project Reentry

State appellate defender office

645 Griswold, Suite 3300

Detroit, MI 48226

Across Down

Calliing all thinkers, innovators and artists!

The Drum was created to serve as a creative outlet, meeting place, andresource for resource for people coming home from prison and their their supporters. Recall these words from the first issue, written byAntonio Williams:“Cross-culturally the drum has symbolized the collective conscience andheart beat of a community. The sound of the drum has long beenassociated with a call to community meetings, the dissemination ofinformation and a way for spread-out communities to stay connected.Returning citizens comprise such a community and, as such, they faceunique challenges and difficult obstacles…There is so much to be gained inthe sharing of our experiences and The Drum will be our meeting place.”If you have read a book recently, attended an event, or createdsomething, we would love to hear about it. Or, if you feel that The Drum isnot covering something that it should cover, please reach out! Contact usby calling (313) 256-9833 and ask for Project Reentry or emailreentry@sado.org. Thanks!

September crossword

1. October gets its name from thisLatin numeral meaning "eight" 4. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ People's Daycelebrates the history and culture ofpeople native to what is now theUnited States 6. Michigan's Anime conventioncoming to Detroit October 31st

2. The traditional flowerfor the month of October3. Popular pie in theAutumn months 5. Fallcrop in the pumpkinfamily