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What I have learned about myself in prison?

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.I’ve learned that I am stronger and more resilient than I could have ever reimagined.

I’ve learned that there are no limits to what I can do if I believe in myself.

I’ve learned that my voice and my life matter, and can produce positive change.

I’ve learned that there are many ways to be a mother, sister and friend even from the inside – all of them are important contributions I can make.

I’ve learned that I can and did survive what I thought I surely wouldn’t.

Incarceration has taken many things from me, but I have done my best to extract the beautiful things from the situation that I find myself in.

I’ve cultivated my passions and skills by studying revolutionaries, learning law, educating myself on prison abolition and reform and committing myself to positive change.

I’ve also learned the value of the little things: laughter, a phone call, human contact, and words of love and encouragement. Perhaps they are not so little after all.

📬

These stories arrive by mail.

Every month, a physical envelope arrives at your door, postmarked from San Quentin Village, California. Inside, you will find original artwork, writing, and recipes from real contributors, along with a personal letter from me, Diane Kahn, founder of Humans of San Quentin, about the people who made them. You read it. You keep it.

Every piece comes from someone serving a sentence. Every piece reminds you they are so much more than that.

📬 Join the Mail Club

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