It was the perfect fall day on November 16, 2024. I recall the sky was gray and the leaves were crunching beneath my feet as I walked towards the Cook County Department of Corrections to attend a poetry reading.
Before I go further, I would like to ask you some questions. I ask that you really consider them for a moment:
What is your opinion about individuals who are incarcerated? What kind of people are they? What are their stories? Are they good people? Bad? Can they redeem themselves in any way?
Now that you have thought about it, I’d like to share my experience at the jail.
As I walked into the division that houses approximately 1,500 individuals, I felt butterflies in my stomach, not out of fear or nervousness, but because I knew that I would hear the poems of seven individuals in custody (IICs). This poetry reading was something they had been working toward for the ten weeks leading up to that day and it was THEIR everything at this moment. It meant a lot to witness it.
Attending the poetry reading alongside me were my two younger sisters and a group of thirty-five Morton College students, faculty, staff. Even Morton College President Dr. Keith McLaughlin was in attendance.
I would like to take a moment to highlight the fact that none of this would be possible if it weren’t for Dr. Sam Chesters, an English professor at Morton College, who volunteers her time to arrange events like this to encourage some of the most vulnerable among us. She visits the jail every week to teach IICs how to write the poetry that will share their stories with the world. Dr. Chesters is a phenomenal professional who genuinely cares for her students both at Morton College and the Cook County Department of Corrections. As a student in her classes, I have learned so much from her and look forward to learning more.
Talking with Dr. Chesters, I asked her why she would dedicate so much time to teaching IICs how to write poetry. She told me, “I reached out to the Cook County Jail back in 2023 to see if there was any chance I could offer my services as a teacher. Honestly, I thought they would say, ‘We have a GED program. We’re good.’ But their response truly surprised me. They were so hungry for programming, and they could not wait for me to start working with the IICs. I’ve run four poetry classes now. Each one is unique, but all have been so heartening to see individuals who may not have had an experience to share their story show the world who they are beyond a tan uniform with ‘DOC’ emblazoned across the back.”
At the poetry performance, what stood in front of us (the spectators) were seven young men who appeared to be as nervous and excited as those gathered to see them. In turn, they each performed their piece and, as a capstone to the event, they performed a collaborative poem they had written as a group, entitled “Stop the Violence.”
Listening to the poems, so many positive messages emerged, not only for the benefit of their Morton College visitors, but for the children and teens from their communities as well. Some messages included treating others kindly and avoiding negativity such as violence, drugs, guns, and other bad influences. Their stories and perspectives also made me appreciate my loved ones more than I already do. For instance, one poet mentioned how much he would love to do something so simple to us on the outside: to sit on the couch and watch tv surrounded by his family that he longed to see. Even after leaving the performance, this image stuck with me because it is something that we all take for granted.
Another poet wrote a piece that fully explored the concept of “pressure,” mentioning how as human beings, we are all surrounded by different kinds of pressure from our world, such as peer pressure, family pressure, gang pressure, and blood pressure. The overarching theme of his poem was making the right choices in life, even in the face of so many influences.
Curious what my siblings thought about the performances and what they had learned from it, I interviewed them, asking “What is your opinion about individuals who are incarcerated?”
My sister Inez answered, “Every inmate is a human being and all of them have hopes and dreams like we all do. They are all ambitious but are stuck in a world they feel like they have to live in because of their upbringing. I believe in them and know that they can continue to learn with time. I loved hearing their stories through their poetry. I loved everything about them.”
Asking my sister Jocelyn, I heard her reply, “We can’t judge a book by its cover and assume that they are all bad people. I learned that there is more to their story than what we know or what people portray them to be. They use poetry as an artistic way to express how they feel and what they are going through.”
Dr. Chesters said one of the reasons she comes back time and time again is that she knows there is so much potential and possibility within the students at the Cook County Jail. “I’ve taught over 115 English classes over the span of my career, and the student’s I’ve encountered at the jail are some of the most curious, insightful, courageous writers I’ve encountered. They are so eager to learn,” she added.
Having attended the poetry reading, I have an empathetic perspective. As human beings, we all make choices that may not always be optimal, but we have the opportunity to learn from our past experiences. I am excited to say that I will continue to attend the poetry events at the Cook County Jail and encourage everyone to join.