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'Since I Been Down’
Film Viewing and Panel Discussion with members of Black Prisoners Caucus at Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Port Townsend Thursday, December 7th 6:30-9pm View the film trailer: https://youtu.be/SL7eHbqD-KA?si=BDIffvGfGWj2MoIV Register and make your donation for the film viewing & panel discussion here: |
Since I Been Down
This film features Kimonti Carter, founder of T.E.A.C.H. (Taking Education and Creating History), a prisoner-led higher-education program now at three Washington state prisons. Kimonti is also a leader in the Black Prisoners’ Caucus www.blackprisonerscaucus.org and an advocate for transformative justice. Following the film screening we will host a community discussion around transformative justice and how to continue this work in our community.
Kimonti Carter is the former president and current member of the Black Prisoners’ Caucus, a 40+ year old Washington State prisoner-initiated program. At 34, Kimonti founded TEACH (Taking Education and Creating History), a remarkably innovative prisoner education program. Kimonti and a group of his peers maneuvered through a non-negotiable pathway to joining gangs when they were as young as 11-years-old. This is a community profoundly impacted by the city's disinvestment in housing, education, and employment, as well as legal policies in the 1990's. The film, told by the people who have lived these conditions, unravels intimate stories from interviews brought to life through archival footage, cinema verité discussions, masquerade, and dance, revealing why children commit violent crime and how these children – now adults – are breaking free from their fate by creating a model of justice that is transforming their lives and our humanity and creating a better quality of life for all our children.
"I hope that all of you have seen the amazing film SINCE I BEEN DOWN. If you are not convinced of the liberatory potential of education, I guarantee you will be transformed after seeing this film!”
- Angela Davis, Activist, Author,
DistinguishedProfessor Emerita UC Santa Cruz
Trailer: https://youtu.be/SL7eHbqD-KA?si=BDIffvGfGWj2MoIV
More info: https://www.sinceibeendown.com/
Since I Been Down is a film and impact campaign dedicated to raising awareness around transformative and restorative justice. Thrown into prison – not for education or rehabilitation, but for removal and punishment (“out of sight, out of mind”) – these children, who are now adults, could not be silenced. Together they built a prisoners’ community of healing that extended beyond prison walls.
This film features Kimonti Carter, founder of T.E.A.C.H. (Taking Education and Creating History), a prisoner-led higher-education program now at three Washington state prisons. Kimonti is also a leader in the Black Prisoners’ Caucus www.blackprisonerscaucus.org and an advocate for transformative justice. Following the film screening we will host a community discussion around transformative justice and how to continue this work in our community.
Kimonti Carter is the former president and current member of the Black Prisoners’ Caucus, a 40+ year old Washington State prisoner-initiated program. At 34, Kimonti founded TEACH (Taking Education and Creating History), a remarkably innovative prisoner education program. Kimonti and a group of his peers maneuvered through a non-negotiable pathway to joining gangs when they were as young as 11-years-old. This is a community profoundly impacted by the city's disinvestment in housing, education, and employment, as well as legal policies in the 1990's. The film, told by the people who have lived these conditions, unravels intimate stories from interviews brought to life through archival footage, cinema verité discussions, masquerade, and dance, revealing why children commit violent crime and how these children – now adults – are breaking free from their fate by creating a model of justice that is transforming their lives and our humanity and creating a better quality of life for all our children.
"I hope that all of you have seen the amazing film SINCE I BEEN DOWN. If you are not convinced of the liberatory potential of education, I guarantee you will be transformed after seeing this film!”
- Angela Davis, Activist, Author,
DistinguishedProfessor Emerita UC Santa Cruz
Trailer: https://youtu.be/SL7eHbqD-KA?si=BDIffvGfGWj2MoIV
More info: https://www.sinceibeendown.com/
Since I Been Down is a film and impact campaign dedicated to raising awareness around transformative and restorative justice. Thrown into prison – not for education or rehabilitation, but for removal and punishment (“out of sight, out of mind”) – these children, who are now adults, could not be silenced. Together they built a prisoners’ community of healing that extended beyond prison walls.