Talks with my son behind bars | Kevin Vaughn | TED Goes to Prison at Coxsackie Correctional Facility 2022
Kevin Vaughn has never met his son, as he was just born when Kevin was arrested. Listen to this deeply moving talk about how an incarcerated father develops and maintains a strong, positive relationship with his son solely by use of phone calls. Kevin Vaughn has sacrificed a lot and experienced all the bad that comes with the criminal lifestyle. While in prison over the last 13 years of a 20-year sentence, he learned how to shine bright after so many years of darkness. Among his many accomplishments are multiple alternative to violence programs, aggression replacement training, G.E.D., general business certificate, job/employment titles, substance abuse programs, and a host of volunteer and incarcerated individual-run programs and fundraisers. He’s also a student in the culinary arts program seeking his apprenticeship and certificate in Servsafe food safety. He is a man who checks and renews himself constantly. And his life purpose is to guide and uplift the youth as a whole and have a personal and positive impact on their future. But most of all, he’s the proud father of a 13-year-old son whom he loves and misses tremendously.
Invisible victims | Bruce Bryant | TEDxSingSing 2020
Incarceration doesn’t just affect those incarcerated; in fact, it has been shown to have a profound effect on children and young adults whose parents have been separated from them. In this illuminating talk, Bruce Bryant takes a realistic look at the unintended price that children with incarcerated parents or family members too often pay for situations that were fully out of their control. Bruce is a self-reflective, happy, and driven man who believes that, “where you are doesn’t define who you are.” Bruce has lived this truth by becoming a published author during his incarceration, writing Closeness is Not Measured by Distance: A Dynamic Journal for Children of Incarcerated Parents. He believes that life is about meaningful relationships and the potential power of the combined efforts of people who care.
Bars never break bonds: motherhood from the inside | Christy S | TEDxPerryvilleCorrectional 2018
"Bars will never break bonds." That's what Christy has always emphasized to her children, and what her mother always emphasized to her. "My mother was my biggest supporter." She helped look after her grandchildren by providing "stability, normalcy, confidence in their relationship with me." Christy continuously provided for her children through gifts on holidays and birthdays, braces, school clothes and any of their other financial needs. A devoted mother after 24 years of incarceration, she credits her thriving relationships with her children to constant and open communication. Incarcerated since the age of 22, Christy did not let that deter her from being the best mother she could be; from the inside out. Missing some of life’s most important moments were never easy. Instead of letting her situation envelop her, she decided she would stay strong for her children by living a productive life behind bars. This included getting her G.E.D., working a steady job for over 10 years to be able to financially support her three children and being a mentor for women struggling with a similar predicament. Although she was not there in person, she was always there in every way she could be.
Second chance parenting | David Pride | TEDxDonovanCorrectional 2018
How many of you have the book on how to be a good parent? By taking us on a journey from his childhood to adulthood to parenthood from prison, David confronts the importance of parenting based on children’s personal identities and talents. David also addresses how promising children fall into crime and how at-risk children rise above.“Despite my circumstances, I am an extremely positive, happy-go-lucky and a kind-hearted person. An overly-involved father and loving husband, family is always at the center of my life. I’ve often said that prison has actually saved my life and has given me the blessed opportunity to see things with a clear and sober mind. Today, I can finally focus on a new beginning and turn a dark world into a world of light.”
My daughter, my hero | Sam W. Johnson, Sr. | TEDxSanQuentin 2016
After turning 6, a little girl visits her dad in prison and changes his life. After being incarcerated for 22 years, Sam W. Johnson, Sr., was released from San Quentin on Friday, February 24, 2017. For the past six years, Sam has been the Executive Chairman of the Men’s Advisory Council at San Quentin, meeting with the Warden and administration to represent the interests of the inmate population. He's also a facilitator for Insight Prison Project's Victim Offender Education Group, a restorative justice program. He is the Co-Leader of the Alliance for Change Mentor Department and also co-facilitates their anger management course. Through the Prison University Project, he received an A.A. degree from Patten University.
My father, my hero | Cynthia Roseberry | TEDxChesterStatePrison 2016
Cynthia Roseberry, a criminal defense attorney and the daughter of an alcoholic, talks about the labels we give to people that tend to build walls of resentment and brokenness. She argues that love is stronger than those labels and breaks down the barriers that separate us. Ms. Roseberry currently serves as Project Manager for Clemency Project 2014. The Clemency Project - a partnership among the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, American Civil Liberties Union, the American Bar Association, Families Against Mandatory Minimums and the Federal Community and Public Defenders - was created in response to a challenge to the legal profession to provide pro bono assistance for clemency to federal prisoners who would likely receive a shorter sentence if they were sentenced today.
Me becoming my mother | Matthew Dowsett | TEDxChesterStatePrison 2016
Matthew Dowsett, the son of an incarcerated parent, talks about the nightmare of his mother’s arrest and trying to break free from the cycle. Originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania, the 25- year-old Dowsett has aspirations of becoming a published author and motivational speaker. He credits the support of his fiance, Katrine Karchner, and hopes to become a father someday.
Our children, our champions | Anna E. Hollis | TEDxChesterStatePrison 2016
Children of incarcerated parents in Pittsburgh are taking on policy-makers to improve their future. Hollis challenges incarcerated parents to in turn, rise to the challenge and change the legacy they leave their children. Ms. Hollis is the Executive Director of Amachi Pittsburgh, a unique partnership of secular and faith- based organizations working together to support children and families of the incarcerated. Under her leadership, the organization has become an ever-growing and diverse network of community organizations, dedicated volunteers, families, and partners in education, government and business.
What are you going to do now? | Eugene DePasquale | TEDxChesterStatePrison 2016
As Pennsylvania’s Auditor General and the son of an incarcerated father, Eugene DePasquale talks about the tremendous financial cost on children, with a challenge for the future. DePasquale became Pennsylvania's 51st Auditor General in 2013, and was recently re-elected to a second term. Prior to his service as Auditor General, DePasquale was a member of the state House of Representatives, where he was known as a leader in government reform.
These children are somebody | Chad Dion Lassiter | TEDxChesterStatePrison 2016
Society says children of incarcerated parents are nobody, but Chad Lassiter maintains there is a moral imperative – on the part of their incarcerated parents and policy makers - to protect, guide and create a new identity for these children. Lassiter is nationally recognized in the fields of American race relations and violence prevention among African American males.
Joy through adversity | Terri Roberts | TEDxPittsburghStatePrison 2015
A wife, mother and grandmother, Terri Roberts has also survived serious illness, crediting her faith and a rigorously healthy diet. Mrs. Roberts’ book, “Forgiveness: The Amish School Shooting, A Mother’s Love, and a Story of Remarkable Grace,’’ will be available in the fall of 2015. In 2006, Mrs. Roberts’ son, Charlie, shot and killed five girls inside an Amish school house, wounding five others. The crime – and the Amish community’s response – made international headlines as it propelled Mrs. Roberts and her family into the public’s eye. Mrs. Roberts describes herself has one who has walked through circumstances beyond her ability to cope, and yet found strength, and even joy, along the way.
The power of a parent’s voice | Lawrence Bartley | TEDxSingSing
Inmates, officers and doctors come together to help a father share his healing voice with his prematurely born son. Lawrence Bartley values integrity and respect for others. A lifelong learner, he considers himself to be flexible and open. He believes there is value in earning your way and having balance in your physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual life. He is also a husband and father of 3 beautiful children. His aspires to earn an MBA, PhD.
It’s your turn to listen? | Deonta Bell | TEDxMarionCorrectional 2014
Raising yourself and your siblings in urban environments and the possible impact of educators and adults. six.word.bio: Progressive; I’ve come a long way.
A mother’s story? | Lee Seibenick-Schwartz | TEDxMarionCorrectional 2014
Is your love for your child unconditional and stronger than you imagined? six.word.bio: I’m knee deep in the hoopla.
Unpack your bags | Roy Tarbet | TEDxMarionCorrectional 2014
Facing yourself, an example of restoration and the path to healing. six.word.bio: Why doesn’t anyone else smell that?
The sins of the father | Gerry Cypert | TEDxIronwoodStatePrison 2014
Gerry Cypert is the proud, loving and devoted father of three children: Emily, 25, Savanah, 21, and Brandon, who recently turned 18. Gerry has struggled tirelessly over the 18½ years of his imprisonment to play a supportive role and remain relevant in the lives of his children. He believes firmly that imprisonment is no excuse to abandon a parent's responsibilities to his or her children, no matter the difficulties and obstacles which must be overcome.
The importance of fathers | Correctional Officer Calvin Williams | TEDxIronwoodStatePrison 2014
Single father of 3 children, Correctional Officer Calvin Williams of Ironwood State Prison speaks about the importance of being a father. Calvin Williams is a widower and a single father of three wonderful children. A spiritual man, he believes we should love God, our family, and all God's creations, including ourselves. He also believes we should all work for what we get. He is a peace officer and is employed at Ironwood State Prison.
The artist mother | Suanne Goings | TEDxMarionCorrectional 2012
An artist speaks to her own loss and how she got through it in a piece titled "The Artist Mother."
A simple hug | Dan Royston | TEDxMarionCorrectional 2012
Dan Royston takes us time traveling with his daughter, Brooke, over a decade plus of distance to the "simple" hug they were finally able to share. In that hug, a father who had abandoned his daughter through life choices, got to share a simple hug with her a decade later. How often do we take simple hugs for granted? In his talk at Marion Correctional, Mr. Royston brings humor and charm to what is certainly a painful subject.