A perfect place to start a meditation practice | Beth + Sukey Novogratz | TEDxAttica 2019
Who would picture Attica as a perfect place to start a meditation practice? Well, Beth and Sukey Novogratz did and conducted a session for incarcerated men, officers, staff, and outside guests. Co-authors of "Just Sit: A Meditation Guidebook for People Who Know They Should But Don't" and sisters-in-law, Sukey and Elizabeth Novogratz have been leading meditation workshops through the United States. Elizabeth recently launched the podcast "Species Unite" and lives in Brooklyn, NY. Sukey is the executive producer of the acclaimed documentary The Hunting Ground. Together, Elizabeth and Sukey have travelled the world to study meditation in every kind of classroom, from Lakota sweat lodges to Tibet House, from ashrams to vision quests to Oneness retreats. They have learned from many renowned teachers, including Sharon Salzberg, Krishna Das, Ram Dass, Amma, and the monks at One World Academy in Chennai, India. Their inspiration for writing this book is drawn from friends, readers, and complete strangers who echoed their own questions about how to take the first steps toward making meditation part of a more mindful, reflective, and joyful life.
How to conquer fear and find happiness | David Williams | TEDxAttica 2019
Throughout his long career in medicine, Dr. David Williams has witnessed much suffering, sickness, and death. Searching for answers about how to be happy when life can be so difficult led him to a Zen monastery and ultimately to inner peace. David Williams grew up in a small town in Michigan where he completed his B.A. degree in biology before entering Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit and getting his M.D. degree. After finishing his family practice residency at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, MI, he worked for a federally funded rural health organization in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He later moved back to Detroit to work for the Henry Ford Health System in several primary care centers and in the infectious diseases department treating HIV/AIDS patients. In 1999, he moved to New York to work for the Bassett Healthcare System and to be closer to Zen Mountain Monastery where he has been a student since 1996. Since then, he has worked for the University of Rochester Medical Center, the Cayuga Medical Center, the Neighborhood Health Center in Buffalo before taking his present position at Attica as Director of Health Services.
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.
Becoming a man | Craig Waleed | TEDxSingSing 2020
For Dr. Craig Waleed, masculinity was something he was taught at an early age, but as he grew older and wiser, he started to notice some of the more toxic aspects of the masculinity he learned. He believes that toxicity played an integral role in his eventual incarceration. Now, as a professor at SUNY Brockport, Dr. Waleed wants to help his students and other young people re-define masculinity, devoid of the parts that make it toxic in the hopes of inspiring young people and helping them improve their lives and self-images. Dr. Craig Waleed is from Rochester, NY. At the age of 19, he was sentenced to 4-to-12 years in the New York State Department of Corrections for committing a violent assault against another person. During his incarceration, he became immersed in the transformative processes of knowledge-of-self and academics. Dr. Waleed earned an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts while incarcerated and began envisioning greater possibilities for the future. In 2010, he earned a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from the College at Brockport SUNY, and in 2017, completed a doctorate degree from Saint John Fisher College in Executive Leadership. Dr. Waleed wants to share with people who are currently entangled or at risk of becoming caught-up in the criminal legal system, his story of how he found a way to stay out of prison for good.
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.
I see me | Christopher O'Neill | TEDxSingSing 2020
Self-reflection is often the most challenging thing someone can undertake, but in this emotional poem, Christopher O’Neill takes us on a journey of self-discovery and reflection. Starting from his life at a young age and following up through his incarceration, Chris reflects on his younger self and the ways in which he has grown and changed. Christopher O'Neill is a Hudson Link Alumnus; He earned a Bachelor of Behavioral Science in 2011 and a Masters of Professional Studies in 2012 from New York Theological Seminary. For nearly a decade, Chris has assisted hundreds of men earn their degrees, who have become their own success stories. He embraces and understands the transformative power of higher education. Recently, Chris became a primary member of Voices from Within, an initiative dedicated to changing the prison culture and setting healthy examples for children with incarcerated parents.
The power of relationships to redefine the reentry experience | Michael Shane Hale | TEDxSingSing 2020
Michael Shane Hale is a peer facilitator at Sing Sing Correctional Facility working to help his fellow incarcerated men prepare for their reentry back into their communities. But it might surprise you to know that despite teaching these courses for many years, Michael is not going home any time soon. In reflecting on his experience in this field, Michael wants to talk about the importance and the value of interpersonal relationships even in the darkest places. Michael Shane Hale is a facilitator for the Corrections Transitional Services Programs, and spends thousands of hours assisting people in a group setting on re-entry into the community. Currently, Shane is pursuing a graduate degree in Professional Studies at Sing Sing’s New York Theological Seminary. He hopes to eventually pursue a Doctorate in Neuroscience and Computer Programming, to apply the insights he has gained from providing social work inside the prison.
The illusion of control | Colin Rideout | TEDxAttica 2019
Freedom is often misconstrued and viewed as control, the delusion that you can do WHATEVER you want. Colin lost his freedom and went to prison. But while there, he learned something very interesting...and ultimately freeing. Colin is an unapologetic nerd. He worked diligently in sales until he discovered his love of programming. He is particularly captivated by the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). The eldest of seven children, a former rower and coxswain, Colin currently clerks in the Law Library in Attica.
How to be a better man | Mark Pelfrey | TEDxAttica 2019
Mark Pelfrey sings of his longing to change and become a better man. How missing the best days without his kids and watching time tick by in Attica has helped lead to an awakening where he seeks redemption. This beautiful song will have you singing along in no time. Mark Pelfrey is a songwriter/musician who has played for small venues and written numerous songs over the years. He taps into and uses his unique life struggles to create art. He takes as his motto: “It’s never too late to change, to be better today than yesterday, or to help others, even if just with a smile.” Mark is a simple man who loves the outdoors. He grew up rough and made some bad life choices, but Mark stands today as a changed man.
Five minutes to fix our broken healthcare system | Eva Lana Minkoff | TEDxSingSing 2020
Fixing the United States healthcare system in just 5 minutes sounds like the stuff of myth and legends but Eva Lana Minkoff thinks she might just have a solution. Imagine a world where you leave the doctor’s office actually feeling heard, validated, and confident in the care you received. Eva thinks that could be our reality with just a few minor adjustments. With her researched system of doctor-patient feedback and communication, Eva’s insights on how to talk to your doctor might just turn your life around. Eva Minkoff’s career experience in healthcare and lifetime of chronic patient experience has motivated her to pursue health system reform through championing effective patient-practitioner relationships. Eva is the host of the HumanCare Podcast, which supports her mission to improve global health through self-reflection and human connection.
Finding the right priority when starting a business | Steve Forbes | TEDxSingSing 2020
This speaker’s name speaks for him. When you hear the name Forbes, you know it’s attached to someone with an incredible amount of experience and firsthand knowledge of the business world. Well in this incredible talk, Steve Forbes wants to share some of that knowledge with you! This talk is full of insight and wisdom about what it really takes to start a business and how we might need to re-define our perception of entrepreneurship. Steve Forbes is the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media. Steve writes editorials for each issue of Forbes under the heading of “Fact and Comment.” A widely respected economic prognosticator, he is the only writer to have won the highly prestigious Crystal Owl Award four times. In both 1996 and 2000, Steve campaigned vigorously for the Republican nomination for the Presidency.Steve’s newest project is the podcast “What’s Ahead,” where he engages the world’s top newsmakers, politicians and pioneers in business and economics in honest conversations meant to challenge traditional conventions as well as featuring Steve’s signature views on the intersection of society, economic and policy.
Building stone upon stone - power of community in entrepreneurship | Goldie Harrison | TEDxSingSing 2020
Many of us think we know what entrepreneurship looks like, but how could it be improved? That’s exactly the question that Goldie Harrison is tackling in this presentation. With her first-hand experience organizing community events in Brooklyn, New York, and growing up with self-made parents, Goldie has a unique perspective on the world of creatives and innovators. If you fancy yourself an innovator or a changemaker, this might just be the talk for you. Whether it’s behind the lens or curating the vibes, Goldie Harrison is a creative force to be reckoned with. The wunderkind has tapped into a lane uniquely her own through her precision in media and events. As a self-proclaimed “dot connecter,” Goldie’s affinity for the arts has evolved into the founding of her own digital agency and studio – 24:OURS – where culture and community verge. 24:OURS has garnered the attention of The Black Enterprise, News12, Spectrum News and Essence Magazine. Through 24:OURS, Goldie has launched opened 24:OURS Creative Studios, an innovation hub tailored for black and brown creatives and launched 2 live music series, #NoiseCtrl and TheLoftSessions a live music platform giving indie artists a chance to be heard on an authentic level.
Look at this beard: I'm a man! | Brian Edwards | TEDxAttica 2019
What happens when a male staffer at a maximum security prison -- Attica Correctional Facility, no less - has a panic attack at work? Will he be laughed at? Fired? Bullied by officers? Taken advantage of by inmates? Find out in this ground-breaking, courageous, and humorous talk by an Attica staffer. Brian Edwards is an academic teacher for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision with 13 years on the job. He suffers from anxiety and depression and isn’t afraid to talk about it. Well, maybe he’s a little nervous. One time, while at a funeral, he heard the person giving the eulogy describe the deceased as “the most genuine person I’ve ever met.” All Brian wants is someone, one day, to say the same thing about him.
How you see me inside these walls | Rick Matthews | TEDxAttica 2019
Check out this entertaining and insightful talk by a long-time Attica correctional officer and standup comic. Yes, prison guards can be funny! Rick Matthews tackles labels and stereotypes of officers and inmates, making us laugh while underscoring the humanity of everyone and that we all have possibilities. NOTE: He is definitely NOT advocating a brazen bulldozer escape. Rick Matthews was born and raised in Western New York. Taking what that region has taught him, he is hard working, gritty, and destined to be in second place. A correctional officer for 16 years, Rick has worked at the Attica Correctional Facility for 14 of them. He's also been a stand-up comic for the last 12 years. His family, past, and full-length mirror provide him with all the material he needs to fuel his relatable brand of humor that keeps audiences laughing. He has toured around the country with Jim Norton, and has performed in numerous clubs, casinos, colleges, and festivals throughout the U.S. He is also the creator of the hit "Comics Against Humanity" show, based on the popular card game "Cards Against Humanity," which is now featured at other Helium locations around the country. Rick teaches both introductory and advanced stand-up comedy classes at Helium Comedy Club.
Nothing happens if nothing changes | Lazarus Clyburn + Jordan Williams | TEDxAttica 2019
If Attica gave out music awards, these two would make Kanye jump on stage if they didn't receive one! Lazarus and Jordan make a great duo, and their performance is packed with energy that will have you rapping this tune all day long. Lazarus Clyburn is a drop of water from the Fountain of Life and believes that rising every morning is a blessing and another chance to invoke change. He's a man risen from the dead of immaturity to understanding that life is a journey of being perfectly imperfect. He's a survivor of extreme gun violence, a father when doctors said he couldn't be, a college student of sought-after degrees. He's also an alternative to violence project facilitator, a gifted drummer, and an exceptional welder -- all while doing his best to be persistently resilient and encouraged enough to believe that God made him the way he did so his purpose in life matches the gifts He gave him. Jordan and his older brother were raised by their mother and stepfather. Although growing up in a poverty-stricken neighborhood, Jordan graduated high school and found solace in his local recreational center. He participated in a community building project called Bridges to Wellness that paired the recreational center youth with college students from Rochester Institute of Technology to bring awareness to the problems within the community. Having been incarcerated since the age of 21, he has participated in programs such as the 64 days of Non-Violence and the Alternative to Violence program. He is a former member of the Inmate Liaison Committee for the Attica Correctional Facility and is now a member of the TEDxAttica organizing team. Every day, Jordan strives to change from being an anger-filled, adolescent into an honest, loyal, and responsible man. Upon his release from prison, Jordan aspires to be a productive influence conducive to positive change within his community.
My prison paintings began with PAIN | Philip Glaser | TEDxAttica 2019
At one of the lowest moments of his life while in jail awaiting trial, Philip Glaser began to draw. During his incarceration at Attica, Phil learned the value of art as therapy and perhaps even as a chance at redemption. See how art changed Phil's life, making him a better person and even reuniting him with his lost love. Phil never expected incarceration would give him a second chance for a life worth living and happiness. After arriving at Attica, he became an accomplished artist/designer and has created numerous murals throughout the facility. His painting "Art, In Cell Window Perspective" received the Best Donated Work award for the Crime Victims Fund Exhibition and was chosen for the prestigious 1990 Rochester Finger Lakes Exhibition. In 2013, he started the Attica Active Veterans Group’s Kite Artwork Team and its Knitting Squad. Phil is grateful to be able to use his God-given talents to lift people's spirits and raise funds for community causes. He is an Eagle Scout and received an Honorable discharge after serving seven years in the U.S. Coast Guard as a 1st Class Damage Controlman. Phil just celebrated his 25th anniversary with his wife, Kathy, who with her Master's Degree in art and theater is a perfect companion for him and his many art projects.