Stepping Into Truth: Conversations on Social Justice and How We Get Free
Society & Culture
Alesha Monteiro
When someone is incarcerated there are impacts that land far beyond those to the incarcerated person. People without partners, children without parents, communities without those who may fill critical roles, and the elderly without a caregiver to name just a few.
The truth is that it's rare that we even think about the people left behind. My guest, Alesha Monteiro, knows exactly what it's like to have an incarcerated spouse. She knows the isolation, the shame, and the ripples of impact that are too often ignored.
With all of this Alesha is very fortunate. She found a community of women experiencing what she is, Essie Justice, and in that community found a place of welcome, support, and understanding.
In this conversation Alesha and I talk about what life is like for those with someone on the inside and what she believes we need to do to address our broken criminal justice system.
The impacts of mass incarceration affect all of us whether we know an incarcerated person or not. At the very least, our tax dollars are going to support this inequitable, flawed system when they could be better spent in many other places.
Have a listen and deepen your understanding of what mass incarceration and the way our justice system works (or doesn't) means for all of us.
About Alesha:
Alesha Monteiro is a social justice advocate, and a dedicated member of the Essie Justice Group, a black feminist organization that supports and uplifts the experiences and solutions of women with incarcerated loved ones. Alesha is a prison abolitionist who believes that there is a very different, much more humane way to respond to the consequences of actions that hurt people.
Alesha's Action Steps:
1) Learn the message and push the message. Educate yourself on what is happening in these systems and then work to change that.
2) Donate your time, money, or both to local and statewide groups working in this arena.
3) If you know someone with an incarcerated person in their life, check in on them.
For a written transcript of this conversation click here.
Resources:
Essie Justice
Connect with Alesha:
https://www.facebook.com/aleshamonteiro
https://twitter.com/AleshaMonteiro
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alesha-monteiro-avid-advocate/
https://alesha-advocates.org/
Talking with Disability Activist and Musician Gaelynn Lea
Talking About Fighting for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women with Rosalie Fish
Talking Everything You Probably Didn‘t Know (and need to) About ID with Kat Calvin
Talking About ”She Speaks” an Homage to Black Women with Filmmaker Don Estill
Talking Bringing Abortion Stories Out of the Shadows and More with Renee Bracey Sherman
Talking the Arts as Activism, Mary McLeod Bethune, and More with Richarda Abrams
Talking How to Start a Revolution and More with Lauren Duca
Talking the Power of Individuals and more with Rebecca Farnum
Talking Self Care, Managing Expectations, and More with Mara Glatzel
Talking Freedom and Oppression with Louiza Doran
Talking With Everyday Activist Grace McKinnon
Talking the "Oreo Complex", Belonging, Creativity, and More with Kristin Iris
Talking the assault on Reproductive Rights & Saving Roe w/ State Representative Renitta Shannon
Talking Gender Roles, Raising Free Children, and more with Craig Pomranz
Dyana Valentine Interviews Me and We Talk About Belonging, Alignment, Storytelling and More
Talking Real Questions, Belonging (or not), and more with Dyana Valentine
Talking Embracing Your Wholeness, Fractals, Pleasure and more with adrienne maree brown
Talking Tolerating Discomfort, Brené Brown, the Freedom of Not Giving a Damn, and More with Sharyn Holmes
Talking Spirituality as a Weapon, Facing the Shadow, and More with Rachel Ricketts
Talking the Ups and Downs of Social Justice work, the Trap of Expectations, and Much More with Makenna Held
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Voices of Misery Podcast
House of Whimsical Terror
Just Dumb Enough Podcast
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL