Behind the Wall

• In Event: Unapologetic Narratives Through Direct Experience: Success and Resiliency Among Black Children of Incarcerated Parents

Abstract

My mother, my father, and my uncle, all succumbed to the heaviness, trauma and overpolicing that came with Raegan’s Anti-Drug Abuse Act and the War on Drugs. The most formidable relationships I had with adults as a child were regularly interrupted by the extraction of my loved ones by the legal injustice system. The natural progression into adolescence for myself, and most males I knew, was accompanied by an indoctrination of cultural codes we all had to learn for careful maneuvering, to avoid the tentacles of jail. Even the more respected men I knew were being imprisoned due to the smallest of infractions like parking tickets, child support, loitering or drug use. My uncle was my first hero. He was known for his style, charismatic personality and frequent visits to NY City by way of the transit rail system that ran just feet from our house. He got the nickname “New York” and would share stories with me & my brother about his experiences in the streets and behind the wall. This presentation describes lived experiences shared in the presenter’s book chapter and sheds light on how this experience has shaped the magnitude and dynamic of my current work in the mental health field.

Author

• Dawan Alford, Black Male Mental Health