The unthinkable | Michael Grasing | TED Goes to Prison at Coxsackie Correctional Facility 2022
Listen to the story of how one horrible decision can affect so many lives forever. Nevertheless, it's never too late to turn your life around and attempt to become a better person. A reckless lifestyle and a series of extremely poor decisions culminated in a long prison sentence for Michael Grasing. However, since entering prison, he has dedicated his life to becoming better and is no longer the man he was. He was born and raised on the South Shore of Long Island by two wonderful and supportive parents and is the proud father of 13-year-old Michael Grasing III. He looks forward to being a positive influence on his his community upon release.
Working on healing | Dameon Bodie | TED Goes to Prison at Coxsackie Correctional Facility 2022
I am Black, Jamaican American, and Bronx-born to be a comedic/poetic/song/novelist/play/screenplay writer. Tyler Perry is my role model. I aspire to one day direct and produce my own plays and movies. Aside from being able to be with my daughter and family again, there isn’t anything that I love more than that.
Our shared humanity | Marcelle Chandler | TED Goes to Prison at Coxsackie Correctional Facility 2022
Listen to why the incarcerated men at Coxsackie chose "Our Shared Humanity" for the theme of their event. Event emcee Marcelle Chandler grew up in a violent, fatherless household while living in a poor, high-crime neighborhood in Albany, NY, and was exposed to a negative lifestyle at a young age. He's currently serving time in Coxsackie Correctional Facility where he is a Bard University student, majoring in Liberal Arts. He strives to be a better person every day. He's a member of the “Alliance for Positive Health,” educating his peers on HIV, STI, HCV facts and awareness. He also offers Hospice Aid assistance for incarcerated individuals in need during their last days. Marcelle strives to be a better person every day, and when he gets out of prison, he has plans to start a non-profit organization related to criminal justice and criminal law awareness.
Unrelatable | Eric Goding | TED Goes to Prison at Coxsackie Correctional Facility 2022
Eric Goding breathes life into every room he enters. He loves to make people laugh and finds ways to relate to everyone he comes in contact with. He’s always willing to give a helping hand to anyone who needs assistance and prides himself on being able to solve problems as they arise. Eric has worked hard to obtain his Department of Labor certification as an electrician and also taught himself Spanish. Currently, Eric is dedicated to mentoring younger individuals.
I have changed | Pedro Santos | TED Goes to Prison at Coxsackie Correctional Facility 2022
I was arrested at the age of 17. I have been locked up for almost 13 years, and when I was a free man, I was a student at Hempstead High School. I was living with my mother and my stepfather and never worked. My wish was to be a member of the United States Army. I used to be a gang member, but I have changed my life and now I attend Bard College at Coxsackie Correctional Facility. My goal is to show society that there are some good people locked up in prison, people who have made and learned from their mistakes, including me.
Teardrops | Robert Van Orden | TED Goes to Prison at Coxsackie Correctional Facility 2022
I grew up in the military with my father. I’ve lived in seven different states in my 22 years of life. I have 12 siblings. I started writing music after I fell in love at 16 years old and made a mistake and lost her. Nothing has been the same since. I’ve been in and out of jail since I was 17 years old. I want to change my life and show the world that a guy can make a mistake and want to fix it. I want to show that everyone messes up and it’s okay as long as they work to change and be better.
Smooth days | A. Hussain + John Giuca | TED Goes to Prison at Coxsackie Correctional Facility 2022
There aren't many more positions in U.S. society more strongly at odds than that of a correction officer (CO) and an incarcerated individual (II). Yet, here are on the stage at Coxsackie Correctional Facility, a CO and an II were brave enough to take the stage together to talk about their mutual goal of achieving peaceful days in prison.Correctional Officer A. Hussain: I am the Pakistani-American dream. Knowing that my time on this planet is limited, I intend on making the most of it. I will hunger for knowledge, devour every macro, and never starve myself for a laugh. I know that humans can make it.John Giuca attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice before being arrested in 2004. He is now a student in Bard’s college program at Coxsackie Correctional Facility and spends his free time fighting to finally go home one day. He has always maintained his innocence.
The man I have become | Diego Pillco | TED Goes to Prison at Coxsackie Correctional Facility 2022
Diego Pillco killed a beautiful human being, which created immense pain and suffering, and he thinks about this every day. Although it isn't possible for him to go back in time and undo the terrible thing he did, his only path forward is to dedicating his life to improving himself and trying to alleviate other suffering where he can. Diego is a native of Cuenca, a beautiful but impoverished state in southern Ecuador. At the age of 18, he came to the United States as an illegal immigrant who spoke little English. Once in prison, he thought his life was over. But gradually he began to understand English just by listening to it. In 2011, he earned his GED and became involved in numerous programs such as being a teacher’s aide, working with the disabled, working in the tailor shop (as a foreman now), and being a hospice aide. He very much enjoys his work. These programs helped him grow and change to become a better person. He loves sewing and he loves sports, especially American football. He’s a die-hard New York Giants fan, and he loves music, too. After his release from prison, he plans to return to Ecuador to take care of his elderly parents. He will open a tailor shop to make clothes for the poor kids in his town as well as to teach them to sew so he can bring hope to the youth for a better tomorrow.
Breakdancing | Kolton Cotter | TED Goes to Prison at Coxsackie Correctional Facility 2022
Kolton Cotter grew up rough. His life story has been included in a book. He's seen and been through a lot and loves to help other people. His heart is his family – his mom, for sure. He always says what’s his mind. He loves soccer and baseball. All around, he's been through and done a lot, so he can relate to just about anything.
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.
I found my true calling in prison | Bruno Langevin | TEDxAttica 2019
In this talk, Langevin describes that although he seemed successful before he went to prison, it was only inside prison that he found his true calling.Bruno Langevin, a.k.a “Frenchy,” is a native French Canadian who moved to the U.S. to work as an international risk manager for Fortune 500 companies. He wrote computer programs for nuclear reactors and aluminum factories, managed computer and physical security risk at banks, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical companies, but his greatest contribution to the world is his two daughters.
Taking off masks and jumping through tables | John Tolliver | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
In this talk, John Tolliver - who is in Attica prison during the pandemic - takes us on a journey as he confronts some very personal fears. John Tolliver is more than the “Criminal” he was once regrettably known as in the streets of Buffalo, N.Y. He is no longer robbing the world or even himself of his full potential. At 16, armed with his GED, he dropped out of college—this was the first in a series of bad decisions that eventually led to him being incarcerated for 25 years to life. On both sides of the bars, he has sought to encourage youth to remain in school and not replicate his mistakes. While incarcerated, John has earned a certificate as a legal assistant/paralegal from the Blackstone Career Institute and has spent over seven of his years in Attica working with the Inmate Grievance Program. The father of three awesome boys, John constantly strives to improve and to live as a contributing member of a healthy society. This is his second TEDx talk.
The story of two different Denvers | Stacey Putka + Javay Raibon | TEDxSanQuentin 2022
What do a beauty pageant contestant and an incarcerated former gang member have in common? Listen as Stacey and Javay share how their individual circumstances impacted their childhood dreams and their ability to fulfill them. Stacey believes fiercely in challenging perceptions and in the power of transformation. Growing up in an entrepreneurial household, with a father who took full advantage of his second chance in life after recovering from addiction, Stacey has always been inspired to facilitate transformation in the lives of others. Stacey received a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Colorado State University and a master’s in social work from the University of Denver. She is currently the Executive Director of Breakthrough, a Colorado based 501c3 non-profit organization that prides itself in supporting people with criminal histories as they transform their lives and radically altering the community’s perception of the incarcerated population. Breakthrough’s holistic approach includes an in-facility career education program, community engagement, re-entry support, a fair opportunity hiring program, and criminal justice advocacy initiatives. Javay was a student star athlete with a promising future that was thwarted by engagement with Los Angeles style gangs that invaded Denver in the 1980s. Javay is the longest incarcerated juvenile in the state of Colorado, serving 33 years in prison. With no formal education, Javay made a commitment to liberating himself from the gang ideology and began to seek education. He has his GED and is pursuing education at Northeast Junior College. He began to excel in the various positions of leadership and credits programs such as 7 habits of highly effective people, the Gang Awareness program, and Breakthrough for developing the skills he has now. He has made clear, transformative change in his own life and the lives of others.
Turning Attica's walls into bridges | Walter Ball | TEDxAttica 2019
Walter Ball, the incarcerated emcee of TEDxAttica: A Healthy Life, sets the stage for the groundbreaking day. As an 18-year-old, Walter thought he knew it all. Yet, he squandered the privilege of a higher education and countless opportunities to be succcessful, including as a college basketball player. However, in prison, Walter was able to rebound and gain another shot. Graduating from college in 2015, Walter dedicates himself to mentoring at-risk youth and has completed a plethora of rehabilitation programs. Today, as a 37-year-old man and proud father who has served 19 years in prison so far, he now realizes that your decisions determine your direction, your direction determines your destiny, and your destiny determines your legacy.
Attica prisoners and guards | Peggy Vance, E. Nowak, Jemar Kelley + Donovan Jackson | TEDxAttica 2019
Attica is definitely not known for teamwork between its prisoners and guards. However, this talk given by two incarcerated men and one correctional officer tells of a popular program at Attica where they work together to mentor and help at-risk youth.Peggy Vance is a photographer and letterpress printer living on a farm in upstate New York. Shooting with film and printing in a dark room remain my favorite way to create photographs. My work is varied; I have shot weddings, in prisons, my family, home interiors, around the world and especially around this farm. I work primarily with a Leica M7 and a Holga. For events, including weddings, I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II as well. I have been printing on a Chandler & Price for over two decades. The letterpress branch of Beech Tree is my effort to encourage handwritten communication for every occasion -- for gratitude, for congratulations, for mourning, for keeping in touch. The paper is usually from Italy but I recently began working with a heavier card stock. Collections change seasonally.A correctional officer for 30 years, Mr. Nowak looks forward to working with his son as he begins his own career as a correctional officer at Attica. A whiz at everything automotive, Mr. Nowak enjoys building race cars and driving them and with his son fixing cars throughout their neighborhood. Mr. Nowak is a first lieutenant in his local fire department, where he works with the Boy Scouts of America Explorer Program. Here at Attica, he serves on the Fire Brigade Team, is an expert on SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus), a member of C.E.R.T. (Crisis Intervention Response Team), the Youth Assistance Program, and a certified drug tester for NARC. He has worked a locksmith fixing cells, doors, gates and locks and as a fabricator building objects for the facility from steel. In his spare time, Mr. Nowak loves to hunt and fish. Above all, he is devoted to his family and his wife of 31 years.With much work, Jemar Kelley has left his negative influences behind. While in prison over the last 20 years, he has completed multiple substance abuse programs as well as aggression replacement training. He has learned to think in terms of intelligent options and consequences before deciding upon a course of action. He is a man who checks and constantly renews himself, realizing that life is a continuous growth process, requiring adjustment, ever evolving and changing. He is deeply committed to mentoring youth recognize their own negative behaviors to help them avoid making the same bad choices he made that will lead them down a road of poverty, incarceration, and or death. At 42 years old, Jemar is the proud father of two intelligent daughters. His oldest is enrolled in college to be a medical assistant. His youngest has received acceptance letters from 18 colleges and graduated from high school with honors. She is enrolled in college to be a business administrator.Donovan Jackson was raised by his preaching mother and teaching grandmother where church and school were mandatory. A well-known rebel, he embraced an opposite path in life where he majored in bad decisions and choices. When he got tenured at Attica, he made great strides to shake off all he learned at the university of knuckleheads. At 33, he now spends his time at Attica mentoring at-risk youth, counseling his peers, and spreading his infectious smile to others. He is devoted to his wife of 9 years and their four daughters.
Sifting through the Attica mines | David Woodrow | TEDxAttica 2019
What do the Crown Jewels, the Hope Diamond, and most other priceless objects have in common? Besides being very valuable, they are locked up and secured -- just like those incarcerated in Attica. David's spoken word piece illuminates the hidden treasure within the "Attica mines." Follow along as Healthy Thinking leads to discovering value where others may see only trash. This talk profiles the creativity and resiliency of the human spirit. An American-born Jamaican of mixed Scots-English lineage, having attended Cornell University on a full soccer scholarship, leaving early to assist family in running their business in their time of need, this former criminal thinker descended into the underworld of crime and violence, eventually landing in the NYS DOCCS maximum security prison system with a 20- to 25-year prison sentence. But watch for the miracle....Initiated as a youth into the House Order in Western Jamaica, West Indies, this Ekklesiastical MC achieved the Hodmoras 79, blood diamond/humbil lion degrees while in prison, specializing in the Certain Way and possessing the Distinguished Features while digging in the Attica Mine(d)s. Now he embodies Healthy Thinking, his life now dedicated to service of the Most High, serving humanity, creating profits and win-win-win situations, loving/reverencing the Most High with all his being, loving others as himself and practicing integrity in all matters.
Is a hotdog a sandwich and other pressing questions from Attica prison | John Tolliver | TEDxAttica 2019
Is a hot dog a sandwich? But more importantly, how could such a question change a "criminal?" John Tolliver's take on the hot dog vs sandwich controversy is thought-provoking as well as humorous. See how the unscientific poll he conducted inside Attica gave him unique insight into labels, which he now shares in the hopes it can lead to others finding new perspectives among old labels. John Tolliver is more than the “Criminal” he was once regrettably known as in the streets of Buffalo, N.Y. He is no longer robbing the world or even himself of his full potential. At 16, armed with his GED, he dropped out of college—this was the first in a series of bad decisions that eventually led to him being incarcerated for 25 years to life. On both sides of the bars, he has sought to encourage youth to remain in school and not replicate his mistakes. While incarcerated, John has earned a certificate as a legal assistant/paralegal from the Blackstone Career Institute and has spent over seven of his years in Attica working with the Inmate Grievance Program. The father of three awesome boys, John constantly strives to improve and to live as a contributing member of a healthy society.
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.
Love doesn’t like everything it sees | Joseph Wilson | TEDxSingSing 2020
When Joseph Wilson’s younger sister accidentally came out to him during a visit, he will admit, his reaction was less than perfect. One conversation threw a normally close sibling relationship into a rocky period as both Joseph and his sister struggled to resolve this divide. What Joseph could never have predicted is that their shared love for music would be the one thing that could bring these siblings back together and closer than ever. In this emotionally-charged TEDx talk, Joseph lays bare the flaws in his initial reaction to his sister’s confession as well as how he was inspired by his love of music to grow and mend the hurt he caused. Joseph Wilson is "a composer who happens to be incarcerated at Sing Sing,” according to acclaimed mezzo-soprano Joyce Didonato. Joseph utilizes music to examine and expose the effects of socialization of poverty, violence, and xenophobia on him and society as a whole. Wilson is in the process of writing The Libretto and composing an opera titled Tabula Rasa. His works were featured on NBC Today and in Carnegie Hall’s Sing Sing Musical Connection Program’s “The Somewhere Project” and “A Time Like This: Music for Change.”
From STEM to STEAM | James Torres | TEDxSingSing 2020
For years, the importance of arts programs in public education has been the subject of debate, but James Torres thinks he’s solved the problem once and for all. In his impassioned presentation, James describes how being exposed to music while incarcerated gave him a new purpose, a new passion, and a new career path. He advocates that the all-important STEM programs that we know and value should be edited just slightly to include art and be forever known as STEAM programs. James Torres participates in Sing Sing’s Carnegie Hall music program. James taught himself music, which he used as a form of therapy to get through hard times. Today, his compositions have been played at Carnegie Hall, and his writings have been published on the online publishing platform The Medium, and the online magazine The Margins. He is currently working with the Jeptha Group, a not-for-profit organization that uses music therapy to help inmate populations that struggle with mental illness.