Local hip-hop poet Bomani Armah works with young inmate.
"I'm thinking about some stuff to do right if I get out there
on the streets...I'm writing you about some books... I don't know if
I'm asking for too much, but once I learned how to read, I just wanted
to read even more."
— Antonio, age 18, DC Jail
Supporters
Profile of a Free Minds supporter
An Interview with the Reverend Betty Green
Department of Corrections Director of Chaplaincy Services
An
ordained minister who was raised in the District of Columbia, the Rev.
Betty Green has served the DC Department of Corrections for 34 years.
As the Director of Chaplaincy Services, she is responsible for overseeing
all volunteer programs and ensuring that every inmate’s spiritual
rights are protected. She is currently studying for a second Masters Degree
at Howard University’s Divinity School.
What do you like best about your job?
Seeing the change that comes over inmates when they are given a sense of hope and the encouragement that they can make it. That’s what I love!
Have you seen an impact from the Free Minds Book Club on the juveniles at the DC Jail?
Yes, I’ve seen an enormous impact. I hear it from the young men, and I see it in the poetry they write. As a spiritual person, I believe that everybody was created with a purpose and a destiny in mind. If these young men will allow their minds to be transformed by the positive, they can discover that purpose. The program takes them to a level in their lives that they never thought was there. Reading is knowledge and power.
How have books affected your own life?
Books continue to open up new worlds to me!
Favorite titles on the Reverend Betty Green's Bookshelf:
The Autobiography of Malcom X: Gifted Hands, by Ben Carson; Waiting to Exhale, by Terry McMillan; The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren; and Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayer: Earthly License for Heavenly Interference by Myles Munroe
Supporters
We are so grateful for the generosity of both the individuals and institutions who make our work possible. Free Minds receives and has received financial support from the following foundations:
Collins Riley Fund
Commonweal Foundation Fund of The Community Foundation for the National
Capital Region
Compassion Capital Fund's Communities Empowering Youth Program
Dealey Foundation
Global Fund for Children
Harman Cain Family Foundation
Herb Block Foundation
Jovid Foundation
Lainoff Family Foundation
Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
New York Avenue Foundation
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
Social Solutions
Spring Creek Foundation
World Bank Community Outreach Program
Free Minds thanks Mr. Devon Brown, Director of the DC Department of Corrections, Warden Simon Wainwright, Deputy Warden Brenda Ward, Reverend Betty Green and all of the dedicated staff at the DC Jail who continually support our program.
