The little things often make the biggest difference in
peoples’ circumstances. Volunteers from the Interfaith Center of New York serve
breakfast during parole hearings every Thursday. “Wow! You guys make a horrible
situation better,” said one of several young people whom Rev. Lobie Redhawk has
touched as a volunteer at the Harlem Community Justice Center. It’s amazing how
much of a difference a friendly face and delicious breakfast can make to
individuals returning from incarceration as they await their parole hearings.
Little thing. Big difference.
While Rev. Redhawk is an associate minister at the
Interfaith Temple, she does not confine her ministry to a single location.
“That’s the whole point of my calling—to be available,” Rev. Redhawk informed
me. She not only makes herself available every other Thursday to serve
breakfast during parole hearings, but she also makes herself available to
engage in cordial conversation to those whom she serves.
Reentry reform is a matter of securing human rights,
according to Rev. Redhawk who feels that society has yet to embrace the
“overarching reality” that human rights are the basis of society. In fact,
human rights issues are what led her to interfaith ministry in the first place.
“I’ve always been aware of social inequities and human rights abuses,” said
Rev. Redhawk. “Our spirituality is the
linchpin of our humanity. When we recognize that humanity is our uniting
religion, maybe then we’ll realize what human rights are all about.”
Rev. Redhawk has witnessed human rights abuses of the
justice system by watching the impersonal ways in which her neighbor, who was
“arrested for the silliness that happened in the building,” was treated. By the
time the of the young woman’s sentencing, she had already been in jail longer
than her sentence, and the sentencing itself revealed a plethora of additional
issues. Rev. Redhawk reports having watched a court
officer sexually
harass her neighbor in plain view of the court. “At that point, it was clear
that this was all orchestrated to keep her there,” said Redhawk, who eventually
brought her neighbor home after hours of dealing with impatient and incompetent
court and jail staff.
Having seen the ways in which prison abuses continue to
traumatize her neighbor who is now back home, Rev. Lobie strives to do whatever
she can to assist and encourage other justice involved individuals. In addition
to service breakfast to returning citizens on Thursday mornings, she also
serves as the primary United Nations representative for the Gray Panthers, a
national non-government social justice advocacy group.
“The chaplain’s responsibility is always to be the human
face of God. An all-inclusive, loving person makes all the difference,” said
Rev. Redhawk, who is setting a remarkable example of the power of faith in
reentry reform. But what more could religious communities do to welcome formerly
incarcerated citizens back into the community? Rev. Lobie Redhawk believes, “Houses
of worship need to open their doors, open their hearts and share their
resources. There’s always more work to be done.”
With a grant from the J.C Flowers Foundation, the Harlem Community Justice Center, the Interfaith Center of New York and the Network in the Prisons/ Network in the Community Programs (Network Program) have created a partnership with the goal of engaging family members and faith community volunteers to support men and women returning to Harlem from prison. The initiative is called The Family and Faith Reentry Circles of Support Program.
With a grant from the J.C Flowers Foundation, the Harlem Community Justice Center, the Interfaith Center of New York and the Network in the Prisons/ Network in the Community Programs (Network Program) have created a partnership with the goal of engaging family members and faith community volunteers to support men and women returning to Harlem from prison. The initiative is called The Family and Faith Reentry Circles of Support Program.
The forthcoming series of profiles of volunteers, staff, and participants, of the Reentry Family and Faith Circles of Support program, are written by Monique Claiborne. Monique--an Opelousas, Louisiana native-- is a Politics major at Princeton University. Currently an intern at the Harlem Community Justice Center, Monique plans to continue working for systemic justice reform as an attorney in the near future.
