I knew hundreds and hundreds of women like me, who had traveled in and out of prison in a revolving door. They needed support and help just like I had received. And it could make a difference, just like it had made a difference in my life. I wanted to see them come back to the community and have a chance at a different life, too.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of support for individuals reintegrating into society after incarceration.
Susan Burton's quote reflects on her experience and the experiences of many women who cycle through the prison system. It advocates for the necessity of support and resources to help these women transition back into the community successfully, allowing them the opportunity to lead different lives instead of falling back into old patterns. This highlights the systemic issues faced by those who have been incarcerated and the transformative power of compassion and assistance.
In practice
This quote can be used during a community meeting discussing rehabilitation programs.
People are released from prison so unprepared. They give you $200. We call it gate money. And you have to pay for a bus ticket back to L.A. You get off the Greyhound bus, downtown Skid Row, and you're supposed to make a life from that.
Many times, I left the prison thinking, 'I'm smart. I can make it. I won't get caught up again.' But you get off downtown Skid Row, and you're a target for all of the environmental harms in that area. The pain and trauma in that area is so thick, you can almost reach your hand out and touch it.
We're willing to spend countless dollars putting people who need help in cages, and then when they get out we say you can't have a job, and you can't have housing, and because you don't have either, we're going to take your kids, too.
When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse.
The power of effecting changes for the better is within ourselves, not in the favorableness of circumstances.
I didn't want to be a slave to any passion anymore. I gave up card playing altogether, even bridge and gambling - more or less. It took me a few years to get out of it.
The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born; now is the time of monsters
If we are to make poverty history, we must have the active participation of States, civil society and the private sector, as well as individual volunteers.
Now, having seen the differences between where you are and where you want to be, begin to change-consciously change-your thoughts, words, and actions to match your grandest vision.
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