Rumi was right. We can meet in a field beyond wrongdoing and rightdoing.
It's not easy to come by good news about prisons. Yet, this spring a group of people in the outside world and those inside a prison demonstrated to each other just how transformative letter writing grounded in meditation and seasoned by compassion can be.
This semester, around 60 incarcerated women engaged in a letter exchange with a similar number of participants from the outside world. The process of sending and receiving these letters every week, though logistically challenging, has proven to be an invaluable tool for emotional, psychological, and spiritual support.
The program incorporates meditation practices such as mindfulness, loving-kindness (Metta), and Tonglen, which equip the women to handle the often harsh realities of prison life with grace and resilience. After a particularly invasive search operation at the prison recently, many of the women shared how these practices helped them maintain their dignity and stay present, despite the humiliation of being stripped and cavity searched.
One of the most poignant moments of this semester came from a woman serving a life sentence for a crime committed under severe postpartum psychosis. Her interaction with a Miami Dade College student through our letter exchange allowed her to articulate her experience and struggle for the first time to someone on the outside. The student's response, full of compassion and understanding, underscored the healing power of simply being seen and heard as more than one's worst act.
The letter exchange program is more than just a means of communication--it is a lifeline. It reminds those incarcerated that they are not forgotten, while also providing participants on the outside with a profound opportunity to grow in compassion, insight, and strength.
We're excited to announce that three new cohorts will begin in June--one inside the prison, one at Miami Dade College, and another for individuals like you, who may not be affiliated with the college but wish to participate in this rewarding program.
If these stories of transformation and healing resonate with you, join us.
It's an opportunity to profoundly impact lives--both others' and your own.
Want to learn more? Simply respond to this message to let me know. I will reach out.
We will meet in that field.
-Carlos
Hi Diana. You join a WhatsApp group where for the duration of the cohort you can interact as much as you feel comfortable with people also writing letters and meditating.
I offer three Zoom sessions where we come together to meditate and share.
You write a weekly letter to a woman in prison and receive one to your WhatsApp inbox in return each week.
All letters are written using a pen name. All letters are read by me to ensure program guidelines.
The cohort runs on donations. These are given to the nonprofit that provides me the opportunity, Exchange for Change.
The next cohort runs for about 8 weeks and starts mid June.